No Thais harmed in hostage crisis in Algeria

BANGKOK, January 18 (TNA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP), a subsidiary of PTT Public Company Limited or PTT, Thailand's largest petroleum firm, say that no Thai people in Algeria have been affected by a hostage drama Wednesday night, in which armed militants held foreigners at a natural gas plant. Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesman Manasvi Srisodapol, who is also Director-General of the ministry's Department of Information, told journalists on Friday that the Thai Embassy to France, which also supervises affairs in Algeria, has learned from PTTEP, which has petroleum production in Algeria, that there are about 40 Thai workers at its drilling platforms, not located where the hostage drama took place. According to the spokesman, PTTEP has confirmed that the 40 Thai workers it employs are safe, some of them work in Algiers, Algeria's capital, which is far away from the hostage drama scene. The spokesman said that there are about 370 Thai nationals in Algeria and, apart from the workers at the PTTEP drilling platforms, others are employed by Toyota, a Japanese giant auto-maker, or at construction sites or were married with Algerians. The spokesman acknowledged that his ministry is, however, waiting for official information from Algerian authorities. On January 16, hardcore militants, who are connected with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group, attacked a bus carrying workers at an oil refinery in In Amenas town in eastern Algeria, close to the border with Libya, and held dozens of foreigners hostage, including Japanese and European people. (TNA)