A medical doctor and two volunteers of the Christian relief organisation World Vision were allegedly held captive for about six hours today by community leaders of a fishing village in Phang-nga island, Thailand.

World Vision's Thai office deputy director Chitra Thumborihusuth, who confirmed this, attributed the situation to a misunderstanding that has since been resolved.

She said the trio - all Burmese - were released after representatives discussed a solution with the Thai authorities. However, she declined to disclose details, including the current whereabouts of the volunteers involved.

Contacted earlier, Pranom Sonwong - a worker in the Thai NGO Migrant Assistance Programme - said she had been engaged in the negotiation process to obtain their release.

They were 'arrested' by leaders of the Ban Tuplamu fishing village at about 11am today and were said to have been held in a 'cage' until their release.

At the time, they were administering medical aid and other forms of relief to some 400 Burmese migrant workers affected by the tsunami that hit the area on Dec 26.

Permission to leave

The negotiations involved the community leaders, representatives of the Fishery Employers Association, the World Vision area co-ordinator, the district governor and the police.

"The law does not allow the leaders to arrest these people. They have not been given the authority by the police to do so. It is believed that their actions were backed by the employers association," she said.

Pranom, who works with a migrants and refugees advocacy group, also said the migrant workers - who make up 95 percent of the workforce - have been expressing their wish to return to Burma after the tsunami.

"Their employers are not allowing the Burmese migrants to leave. A meeting on Dec 31 involving various parties (including the captured World Vision reps) resulted in only 55 Burmese women and children being given permission to return to their country," she added.

The tsunami has to date claimed close to 160,000 lives and displaced millions of others. Armed forces personnel, aid organisations and volunteers from several countries have fanned out across Asia to bring relief to those who have sustained injuries and who have lost all their possessions.