FOREIGN Secretary Jack Straw today vowed to find thousands of pounds "stolen" from an East Lancashire tsunami charity appeal.

The move came after the Dean of Blackburn's son, Johnathan Armstrong, lifted the lid on the torture, corruption, and blackmail which forced him to flee the Indonesian village of Lokna fearing for his life.

Johnathan, 26, whose wife lost 40 relatives in the village during the 2004 disaster, had spearheaded work to rebuild the village after East Lancashire people raised more than £40,000 for the New Life For Lokna appeal.

But he was forced to flee the country with his family and return to Blackburn last month after being threatened when money was taken from the appeal.

Only now does he feel able to reveal the true extent of what happened.

Mr Straw said: "I met with Jonathan and will be contacting our ambassador in Jakarta, Charles Humphrey, on this issue.

"I am very concerned to find out what happened to this money and want to get to the bottom of this mystery, which appears to be fraud.

"I will ensure the people's money is properly used."

Johnathan claimed: l £14,000 of the New Life for Lokna money cannot be accounted for by signatories that run the appeal in Lokna.

l He fled Lokna in fear after military police were sent to confiscate his passport to access more of the East Lancashire appeal's money.

l He slept with a knife under his bed and his friend recorded all his daily movements so they would have evidence if he "disappeared."

l He was forced to make a last minute dash for an early morning flight out of Lokna in fear that corrupt officials were waiting for him at the airport.

l The Dean, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong and other appeal trustees alerted Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw to the threat so that he could he could secure temporary visas and permits for the family to leave Indonesia quickly.

l His childhood friend and appeal colleague Paul Wood, 25, was tracked down to his home in Jakarta, kidnapped, tortured and blackmailed.

l Now he, his wife Nyanyak and their two sons must settle in the UK as it is too dangerous to return to Lokna.

l Before leaving Lokna he prompted a police investigation into the suspected fraud within the non-governmental organisation he set up to rebuild the village Johnathan, who flew back to Manchester with Nyanyak and sons Adam and Toby, said the situation had become so "scary" he felt forced to pack up his family and get out.

However Johnathan, who gave up a teaching job to set up a non-governmental organisation to rebuild Lokna, said although his commitment to the project was unwavering he was naive to think he could ever return.

Speaking at the Deanery, off Preston New Road, Johnathan said: "One week after we got back to the UK we found out six men had turned up at Paul's home and kidnapped him barefoot.

"They took him to a hotel where he was tortured with an electric cattle prod and was held under water in a bath after being stripped naked.

"They filmed the whole thing and tried to force him to say he was a spy so they could blackmail him and get to the remaining £12,000 that was due to be sent from Lancashire.

"When Paul wouldn't co-operate they took him back to his house and Paul immediately left the country.

"The same could have happened to me."

Johnathan was also instrumental in organising for the Catholic Relief Service to rebuild the remainder of homes in Lokna.

He said:"This is really unfortunate that this has happened and we do not want the public to turn against the charity as it has already done so much good."