Thais kidnapped in Malacca Strait

Thais kidnapped in Malacca Strait

MALAYSIA: Armed pirates stormed a Thai-owned tanker in the
Malacca Strait and abducted two crewmen in the first such attack
in the busy shipping lane in nearly two months, a maritime
watchdog said on Thursday.

The late Wednesday attack showed that pirates were undeterred
by naval patrols by Indonesia and Malaysia in their waters, said
Noel Choong, chief of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy
reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

At least five gun-wielding bandits in a fishing boat boarded
the Thai vessel, which was carrying oil products, after first
firing several warning shots in the waters off northern peninsula
Malaysia, Choong said.

The pirates, believed to be Indonesians, kidnapped two of the
tanker's 16 Thai crew members and stole trading documents before
escaping to an unknown location, he said. They later contacted
the ship's owner to demand a ransom, which will likely be paid,
he said.

The attack took place close to the area where pirates abducted
two Japanese and one Filipino from a Japanese-registered tug boat
in March before releasing them unharmed after six days. It was
not clear if the same gang was behind Wednesday's attack, Choong
said. -- AP