The two men thanked colleagues for securing their release. They had no criticism of their captors and said they were well treated during their ordeal.

Lieutenant Chavalit Rattanapan and Lance Corporal Prayongyuth Panthong were taken by DKBA militia along the Thai-Burma border at Sangkhla Buri in Kanchanaburi province on Friday evening. The two were held at an unknown location until their release yesterday.

Chavalit made a brief statement to reporters saying he was not mis-treated. He was taken to a military headquarters in Mae Sot district for debriefing.

The kidnapping was billed as a protest by the DKBA against Thailand's alleged support for the Karen National Union (KNU), the group's arch-enemy.

PTV Rally :Ex-TRT members deny any role

Former Thai Rak Thai MPs said yesterday they attended Friday's rally in support of broadcaster PTV as individuals and they had every right to do so.

Former Bangkok MP Manas Kongwuthpanya said he attended the rally at Sanam Luang because he knew Jatuporn Prompan, a PTV executive. He said he had not met Jatuporn for a while and wanted to know why PTV was not broadcasting.

"I have done no wrong. It is my right to attend the rally and to listen to the speeches. My visit was as an individual, not as a Thai Rak Thai [member]," he said.

Correction

The headline of the article "A responsible fiscal policy for 2007" by Dr Ashvin Ahuja, published in the Opinion page in the March 26, 2007 edition of The Nation, should have read, "A responsible fiscal and monetary policy mix for 2007", which better sums up the article.

The following disclaimer was also omitted by mistake: "This article by the Bank of Thailand's senior economist does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the central bank."