Six Filipinos among 30 luxury ship crew held hostage off Somalia

Esteban Conejos, foreign undersecretary for migrant workers, said the yacht Le Ponant was seized by armed men on April 4 while it was on its way to the Red Sea and Suez Canal to pick up passengers in Alexandria, Egypt.

Conejos said Philippine authorities were coordinating with the French government for the safe release of the Filipino hostages - one female and five males.

He said the French Foreign Ministry has told Philippine authorities that all the hostages were "safe and in good physical condition." 

"They are still in captivity," he told reporters in Manila. "We have no information on the demands of the hostage takers. The desire of the Philippine government is to see a peaceful resolution to this incident." 

The Philippine embassies in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kenya have also been instructed to seek assistance and coordinate with naval forces in the area, Conejos said.

He, however, stressed that the Philippine government will not be directly involved in the negotiations with the hostage takers.

"We leave it to the owner of the ship and manning agency," he said "That's their obligation under international laws." 

Conejos said the foreign affairs department has already contacted family members of the Filipino hostages, whose identities have not yet been released.//DPA - April 8, 2008