Villagers take Posco officials hostage in Orissa

Angry villagers protesting against Posco''s $12-billion steel project in Orissa''s Dhinkia area today abducted four Posco officials, three South Koreans and one Indian in the second kidnap of the South Korean steel maker''s personnel.

In May this year, three Indian executives were kidnapped in the same area, but later freed following an assurance by POSCO that its staff would not visit the area again.

According to the company, a four-member inspection team headed by a senior general manager K S Choi were forcibly taken away by around 40-armed villagers. They were outside their car inspecting the area, when the villagers abducted them a company spokesman said.

They executives were taken to a village and are said to be unharmed. The company is aid to be working towards their release.

Posco has faced stif resistance from local villagers who do not want to be ousted from their lands to make way for the steel project, the country''s single largest foreign investment project.