Editorial: It’s been 3 months since Samal kidnapping – Shall we just wait?

Editorial posted to Tempo (Nov 23): Editorial: It’s been 3 months since Samal kidnapping – Shall we just wait?

Every single day that passes with the Samal beach resort hostages in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf is a reflection on the ability of the Philippine government to assert its authority and maintain order in all parts of the country. And every single incident about some new operation of that Islamic group, such as the beheading of a Malaysian captive, is an affront not just to the government but to the nation as a whole.

A Malaysian held captive for months after he was abducted fom Malaysia’s Sabah state last May was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf on the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Manila, prompting the most acerbic statement from Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

All of Malaysia, he said, was shocked and sickened by the murder of their countryman following a failure of ransom negotiations. The Philippine military’s spokesman could only say they had indeed received news of the beheading. There was no official statement from the national government in reaction to the Malaysian Prime Minister’s call for Philippine authorities to take action against the injustice.

What of the two Canadians, a Norwegian, and a Filipina who were kidnapped from a beach resort in the Island Garden City of Samal last August? Nothing more has been heard about them since then. Meanwhile the Abu Sayyaf appears to be going about its operations with hardly any concern about the Philippine government’s efforts for the captives. A few weeks ago, the Abu Sayyaf announced that it had released two Malaysian hostages after their families paid ransom of P30 million.

The last word about the Samal kidnap victims was that the Abu Sayyaf was demanding R3 billion for the three foreigners. As if to remind authorities and the relatives of the victims about what it was capable of doing, it released a video via the Internet showing the captives surrounded by masked men, much like the videos of the Islamic State before they beheaded their victims in the Middle East.

It’s now three months since the four Samal captives were kidnapped and they are reportedly being held with two other foreigners – a Dutchman and a Filipino-Chinese – in the forested areas of Indanan, Sulu, guarded by some 115 armed men. The military knows the general area where they are kept. The next time we hear anything about the Samal victims, it may be either that their families had paid the demanded ransom, or that they had been beheaded like the Malaysian.

Shall we just wait for the news?

 

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/11/23/its-been-3-months-since-samal-kidnapping-shall-we-just-wait/