MOGADISHU, Somalia — Four Thai fishermen held captive by Somali pirates for nearly five years, longer than any other hostages seized off the Somali coast, have been released after intensive negotiations, according to Somali and United Nations officials.
The Thais, who were released on Wednesday, were among 24 members of the crew on the FV Prantalay 12, a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel that was seized in April 2010. Fourteen, all from Myanmar, were released a year later, and six others died of various illnesses, according to a statement from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The pirates used the vessel as a mother ship until it capsized in July 2011, and the remaining hostages were then taken ashore.
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