Kidnapped workers are safe, their relatives believe

Somewhere in a riverine area of southern Nigeria, four Thai workers from Udon Thani are being held captive. Their relatives are confident they are safe, however.

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This riverine area of southern Nigeria is the centre of a new fish farming industry. Four Thai workers were being paid up to 100,000 baht a month to help -- until they were kidnapped several days ago. Google Earth photo.

Kidnapped Thais believed to be safe

Yuttapong Kumnodnae and Saritdet Marukatat

Udon Thani – The families of the four Thai farm workers kidnapped in Nigeria are trying every means possible to find information about the whereabouts of their loved ones, but say they feel confident that their relatives are safe.

The families are keeping in close touch with the Thai embassy in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

Samrieng Pinpinij, the older brother of Somchok Pinpinij, 55, one of the abductees, said they had also sought help from Thongdi Manissarn, a Pheu Thai Party MP in Udon Thani.

They are confident that the four are not in danger, added Panu Pinpinij, Mr Somchok's son.

The others abducted on Friday by a group of armed kidnappers are Thanawut Pinpinij, 50, who is Mr Somchok's younger brother; Bussaya Sripanya, 38, Mr Somchok's wife, and Chaiyan Taichompu, 46. All are natives of Nong Han district, Udon Thani province.

The four work at Buguma Mega Fish Farm in Rivers state, 857 kilometres south of Abuja. The farm is run by Onida, an Israeli firm operating in the African country.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said on Tuesday that one of the four had contacted Onida on Monday to say they were all safe. Their abductors had not yet made a ransom demand to the firm, he added.

Onida has promised to take full responsibility for the four employees, and will deal with any ransom demands while exercising extreme caution in ensuring their safety, the minister said.

The Thais were abducted on Friday, along with two Nigerians, when their boat was attacked in the Buguma area while they were travelling to work at the farm. The two locals were later set free.

Mr Panu said his parents talked to him on Facebook everyday and had never mentioned any danger in the area.

They stay at a location away from the farm and take a boat accompanied by armed Nigerian soldiers to work, he said.

Mr Somchok, Mr Thanawut and Mr Chaiyan are familiar with working with Israelis, because the three had worked in a fish farm in Israel for eight years, before returning to their home village in Udon Thani.

An Israeli agent contacted them to offer them work in Nigeria last year with a monthly salary of between 80,000 and 100,000 baht, the families said. The three decided to go to Nigeria in December and took Mr Somchok's wife with them to work for a monthly salary of 50,000 baht, they added.

They came back home on June 9 for a two-week break and to renew their visas and returned to Buguma on June 20.