Somali gunmen release hijacked Indian dhow

NAIROBI, June 22 (Reuters) Somali pirates released an Indian merchant ship after holding it for a month, but four other vessels were still being held, a maritime official said today.

Military forces were concentrating around the hijackers' stronghold on the coast north of Mogadishu, which could put captured crew members in danger, East African Seafarers Assistance Programme Director Andrew Mwangura said.

The Al Haqeeq, a dhow with 14 Indian crew members and a cargo of 800 tonnes seized close to Mogadishu on May 24, was free and its crew safe in a southern Somali port.

''The dhow was released about three days ago, it is currently offloading its cargo in Kismayu port,'' Mwangura told Reuters.

Pirates have made Somali waters some of the most dangerous in the world and another four ships were still being held off Somalia's coastline, Africa's longest and least policed.

The other captured vessels -- a fishing boat from Taiwan, two from Tanzania and a Danish cargo ship -- were seized at various times.

''Information indicates that there is a heavy military build-up in and around Harardheere. This might put the lives of the 60 hostages in danger,'' he said, but added he did not know which military forces were involved.

Somalia government spokesman Abdi Haji Gobdon told Reuters that he was not aware of any build-up.

Mwangura said Al Haqeeq, registered in the United Arab Emirates, would proceed to Muscat once it had finished unloading. He could not confirm whether the ship's owner had paid a ransom.

Pirates killed one crew member from the Taiwan-flagged vessel after owners refused to pay a ransom. That is a rare occurrence with Somali pirates, who more often than not take a cargo instead of a life if their demands are not met.

Rampant piracy off Somalia dipped last year during the six-month reign of a militant Islamist group, whose hold over the south of the country the interim government broke with Ethiopian military help over the New Year.

The Islamists stormed Harardheere after the buccaneers seized a ship carrying weapons they were expecting, a UN report says. The hardline group said they raided the port because piracy was against Islamic law.

President Abdullahi Yusuf's interim government is struggling to contain an insurgency in Mogadishu.

The government has asked for international help in cracking down on piracy, and admits it does not yet have the capacity to do so alone. The US Navy has obliged on occasion by intercepting pirates or firing on their boats.

REUTERS SKB VV1700