Somali pirates release hostages

Ransom of $150,000 allegedly paid.

Somali pirates release Thai hostages held for 4 years

NAIROBI: Four Thai fishermen held hostage by Somali pirates for nearly four years have been released, local officials said Friday.

“We collected the four Thailand men from a remote area,” said Omar Sheikh Ali, an official in Somalia’s central Galmudug administration.

The four fishermen were among 24 crew members seized in April 2010 when Somali pirates hijacked the Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel FV Prantalay 12.

Their nearly four-year captivity is one of the longest suffered by any victims of Somali piracy.

Ali said the relieved men were able to contact family members soon after their release Wednesday.

“They called their families by phone and cried and cried and cried,” he said.

Residents of Galkayo, where the Galmudug administration is based, said a $150,000 ransom was paid but the information could not be independently verified.

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Source: dailystar.com.lb