'Le Ponant' hostages set free

The French military has released the 30 hostages onboard the luxury small cruise ship 'Le Ponant'.

France's Defense Minister has said that Paris would not tolerate extortion attempts. The French military has also seized half a dozen pirates. "This is the first time a country has decided not to let itself be extorted, but also to take matters into its own hands," Helve Morin was quoted saying. A source close to the negotiations with the pirates said the boat owner paid about €2 million (US$3.16 million) to free the hostages, and that a portion of the money was recovered when the six pirates were detained. The French chief of the general staff, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, said no "public money" had been paid to the kidnappers, who released the hostages after negotiations with the ship owner. A special plane from the French military base in Djibouti was sent to collect the hostages. The doctor on the helicopter-carrier, Claude Vergez-Larrouget reported that the freed hostages were in a satisfactory condition, and that the Somali pirates had not mistreated them. The 22 French members of the 30 crew aboard Le Ponant were expected to be brought back to France soon.
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