Somali Pirates Release Taiwanese Ship

The government of Taiwan has announced the release of a fishing vessel hijacked in October off the coast of Somalia. Three more Taiwanese vessels remain in the custody of pirates. The government announced that the crews of the captured vessels are safe and negotiations for their release continue. Another vessel -- a merchant ship from the United Arab Emirates -- has been captured in the same area. The waters off Somalia -- which, for practical purposes has no government -- are among the most pirate-ridden in the world. Ships taken there in the past year have included vessels chartered to carry aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.