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