British couple snatched from yacht by pirates

A British man kidnapped by Somalian pirates while vacationing on a yacht with his wife said in an interview released Thursday that the sea bandits had crept aboard with guns while he was asleep and demanded money.

Paul Chandler told Britain's ITV News that he and his wife were being held aboard a container ship anchored about a kilometre from the Somalian coast. A fisherman told The Associated Press he saw two boats carrying eight pirates and a white couple arrive in the village of Ceel Huur, just north of a notorious pirate stronghold in the town of Haradhere.

"They kept asking for money and took everything of value on the boat," Chandler said in the interview, but the satellite phone connection was lost before he could answer how the couple were being treated.

Earlier Thursday, the British navy had found the couple'sempty yacht in international waters. Warships have been searching for Paul and Rachel Chandler since their yacht, the Lynn Rival, sent out a distress signal last Friday while en routeto Tanzania.

A picture of the Lynn Rival on the website of the European Union Naval Force showed a white vessel rigged with two white sails.

The British Defence Ministry had released a statement earlier Thursday indicating it did"not have any reason to believe [the Chandlers] have been harmed."

"Royal naval vessels operating with our international partners under EU, NATO and combined maritime forces will continue to play a full role in efforts to secure Paul and Rachel's release," the statement said.

'You've got the wrong people'

Relatives of the British couple have pleaded with their captors to end the family's "bad dream."

"If I was to give a message to the pirates, I'd say you've got the wrong people," said Jill Marshment, the sister of Paul Chandler, Britain's Press Association reported.

The couple, who have been married for 28 years, took early retirement about three years ago and have spent several six-month spells at sea. Their voyages which have taken them to the Greek islands, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Oman, Yemen, India, the Maldives and the Seychelles have been chronicled on a blog.

"They are not a wealthy couple. They just wanted to take early retirement, to take a boat and to see more of the world," Marshment said.

Thai fishing vessel hijacked

Pirates also hijacked a Thai fishing vessel north of the Seychelles islands on Thursday, the European Union Naval Force said.

The Thai Union 3 reported it was under attack by pirates in two skiffs 320 kilometres north of the Seychelles and 1,050 kilometres off the Somali coast, according to a press release issued by the headquarters for the EU's Operation Atalanta.

A naval aircraft sent to the scene saw pirates aboard the vessel and two skiffs tied up behind it. The EU force said the ship is now heading toward Somalia.

The latest seizure means pirates are now holding a total of eight ships, four of which were seized in the past two weeks.

Somalia has not had a functioning government for 18 years. The multimillion-dollar ransoms the pirates collect are a strong lure for young men in a country where nearly half the population is dependent on aid.

The high-seas hijackings have persisted despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region.