Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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June 28, 2009

Somali Pirates Free Belgium Crew After Ransom Paid
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=250975C:A6F02AD83191E160C069B9200F4D0C252A201403E89ED254&
 
Ship and its crew of two Belgians, a Dutch, three Filipinos and four
Croatians were seized April 18, north of the Seychelles 
Belgian authorities say Somali pirates have released the crew of a
Belgian ship kidnapped two months ago, after a ransom was paid.
Officials say the 10 crew members of the Pompei are in good health. The
ransom was paid by the shipowners. The amount was not revealed. The
initial demand had been for eight million dollars. The ship and its crew
of two Belgians, a Dutch, three Filipinos and four Croatians were seized
April 18, north of the Seychelles. Somali pirates have hijacked dozens
of ships over the past two years. The hijackings have come to a near
stop in recent weeks because of seasonal monsoon activity. Somalia's
weak central government is fighting an Islamist insurgency and is not
able to stop the piracy. The piracy is fueled by ransom payments, some
in the millions of dollars. Some information for this report was
provided by AFP and Reuters. 


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