Army officials have refused to confirm information that the Abu Sayyaf bandits who abducted 10 Indonesian crewmen of a tugboat off Tawi-Tawi on Saturday have asked for a P50 million ransom in exchange for the victims' safe release.
Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, told reporters in Manila they did not know the exact amount and that they were waiting for the owner [of the tugboat] to give them the information that they were looking for to confirm initial reports.
In a text message, Maj. Gen. Demy Tejares, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Zambasulta (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi), however, he said he believes the victims to have been brought to Sulu province by their Abu Sayyaf captors.
Tejares said they have a lot of information indicating the group went to Sulu along with their victims.
He was referring to a group of the Abu Sayyaf unit under one Al Habsi Misaya (one of the deputies of Sulu-based senior Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron) that allegedly carried out the kidnapping.
The military tagged Misaya as behind the recent kidnapping of Malaysians and beheading of Bernard Ted Fen in Bud Taran Indanan -- after a failed negotiations for his safe release.
"But we have yet to confirm this information. As of now, we have no 101 information to say that indeed the Indonesian victims are being held by Misaya's group," he said.
Tejares said the task force has given directives to troops in Sulu "to continue conducting pressure" against the group of Sahiron and to "confirm if the Indonesian crewmen were indeed brought to Sulu."
According to Singapore's Straits Times citing a foreign affairs official who confirmed earlier media reports of the abduction of 10 Indonesian sailors, the Abu Sayyaf group has demanded P50 million for the release of one of the vessels and its crew.
Foreign Affairs Ministry (Kemlu) spokesman Armanatha Nasir was quoted as saying that two Indonesia-flagged vessels were taken hostage at the weekend by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines.
"The Straits Times understands that the militant group, based in the southern Philippines, has demanded P50 million for the release of one of the vessels and its crew," the report said.
“It is confirmed that tugboats Brahma 12 and Anand 12 carrying 7,000 tons of coal and 10 Indonesian crew members were captured,” said Nasir. “The exact time (of the incident) is not clear but the owner of vessels found out about it on March 26 when they were contacted by a person who claimed to be from the Abu Sayyaf.”
The Abu Sayyaf. released a picture of the Brahma 12 tugboat posted on The Straits Times website.
The Brahma 12 has since been released and is now in the custody of the local authorities in the Philippines, but the Anand 12 and its crew of 10 remain in the hands of the “pirates” at an unknown location, said Armanatha, without explaining why the former was released.
National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutiyoso also told The Straits Times that the Abu Sayyaf has asked for 50 million peso in ransom for Anand 12 and its crew.
The incident occurred on Saturday after the two vessels left Sungai Puting, in South Kalimantan, for Batangas in the Philippines.
According to Armanatha, the hostage-takers had contacted the owner of the Anand 12 twice since Saturday to demand a ransom in exchange for the release of the vessel and crew.
He did not elaborate on the course of action being taken by the authorities but added that the priority of Kemlu is “the safety of the 10 Indonesian crew members being held hostage.”
Aside from the latest kidnap victims, the Abu Sayyaf is believed to be holding captives -- two Canadians, a Norwegian, Filipino woman, and other foreign hostages including a Dutchman and a former Italian priest.
On March 10, a video was posted to Facebook showing the three (two Canadians, a Norwegian man) were kidnapped along with a Filipino woman from a resort on Samal Island, Davao del Norte by members of Abu Sayyaf which has pledged allegiance to Daesh.
The militants who demanded more than $60 million for the release of the four hostages threatened to kill them unless a ransom is paid within 30 days until April 8.
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