Two Thai oil workers kidnapped by militants in Nigeria have been released and are scheduled to reach Bangkok this evening.

"It was genuine good news to hear that the two are safe and released in a timely manner," caretaker Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said yesterday.

He will join the families of the men to greet them at the airport.

Arak Suwanna and Somsak Madmoh were among the six hostages released on Wednesday. They had worked for the US oil services contractor Willbros Group.

They were among nine oil workers abducted on February 18 by an ethnic Ijaw militia.

The militia is fighting for a bigger share of the Niger Delta's oil revenues for the 14 million Ijaw people it says it represents.

Two Egyptians, a Filipino and an American were also released on Wednesday.

Two other Americans and a Briton remain captive. "It was like being reborn," Somsak told the Thai News Agency upon his release.

He said he had been very well taken care of.

The militants were not demanding ransoms but wanted better treatment from their government, he added.

Somsak said he had been working on the rig the day the heavily armed militants arrived on a speedboat, but instead of fleeing he rushed to see Arak who was resting upstairs.

Somsak said he was willing to return to Nigeria if he was offered a job there.

"It's my job. I wouldn't know what else to do," he said.

Nigerian Ambassador to Thailand Thompson Sunday Olufunso Olumoko said, "We are happy that it ended very well and peacefully."

He insisted Nigeria is a safe place and urged Thai labourers not to fear for their safety.

He also urged the Thai public not to view the hostage incident as a reflection of all of Nigerian society.

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation