Philippines struggles to find abducted foreigners

From the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 26): Philippines struggles to find abducted foreigners

Barely a week after gunmen stormed an upscale resort in southern Philippines, security forces are still struggling to search for 3 foreigners and a Filipino woman abducted there.

Police and military said at least 11 armed men stormed the Holiday Oceanview Resort on Samal Island off Davao del Norte province on September 21 and seized Canadians John Ridsdel, 68; and Robert Hall, 60; and the 56-year old Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, the resort’s manager, including Filipina Teresita Flor. They escaped on two motorized outrigger boats.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the daring abductions, but authorities were suspecting the rebel group Abu Sayyaf – notorious for kidnapping of foreigners and raid at tourist resorts in southern Philippines and Sabah – was behind the attack, although communist and other rebel groups also operate in the region.

Canada has already warned its citizens from travelling to some parts of the southern Philippines due to the serious threat of terrorist attacks and kidnapping and these included Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao provinces in the Muslim autonomous region, as well as to the Zamboanga Peninsula and the provinces of Sarangani, Lanao del Norte, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Cotabato, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.

But since then, the fate of the hostages remains unknown – not even their whereabouts – although Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and General Aurelio Baladad were quick to say that the victims had been taken to Sulu, a province about 287 nautical miles from Samal Island east of Mindanao region.

Baladad also tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind it. And Duterte has offered himself to the abductors in exchange for the safe release of all the hostages.

Captain Roy Trinidad, a spokesman for the military’s anti-terror task force, said there is no confirmation the hostages were taken to Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. “We have no confirmation about these reports, but we continue to search for the abductors and their victims. The operation is going on and we have alerted our forces to be on the lookout,” he told the Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper.

Trinidad said the military is getting a barrage of intelligence and all these information are still being verified. “There are so many intelligence reports saying the hostages are in Sulu, Davao Oriental and all these are raw information unless verified and confirmed, but nothing so far,” he said.

Police authorities also said there were no indications the hostages were taken to Sulu.

Sulu’s Area Coordinating Council also said it has no information whether the victims had been transferred to the province.  The Sulu Area Coordination Council – organized during the time of then Sulu Governor Sakur Tan – is where various agencies converge to address issues, resolve conflicts and find the best solution to current problems besetting the province. The province has a total of 20 Area Coordinating Centers – one for each of Sulu’s 19 towns and the central headquarters in Patikul town.

Just last year, police authorities in the province set up a special anti-kidnapping task rorce to address the threats of kidnappings and abductions there.

Governor Totoh Tan has previously said that many kidnapped victims were taken from other provinces and cities only to bring and hide them in Sulu, dragging the province to a situation that gives a bad impression to the local peace and order situation.

But while local government officials and multi-sectoral sectors work hand in hand to address the rising criminality and the threats posed by the Abu Sayyaf, other groups with political agenda have resorted in spreading false reports of kidnappings and killings and other black propaganda in social media, including Facebook, to further scare the public and destroy the reputation of different leaders in Sulu.

Locals have condemned and others protested the spate of kidnappings in Sulu and some also launched online campaign in social media to denounce the kidnappings in the province.

The Holiday Oceanview resort has not issued any statement and its website – www.holidayoceanview.com – was hacked and its page redirected to a Japanese sex site.

Police and military have tightened security on Samal Island, a favorite destination of foreigners and Filipino holidaymakers in southern Philippines because of its pristine beaches and diving and snorkelling sites.

http://mindanaoexaminer.com/philippines-struggles-to-find-abducted-foreigners/