Foreign hostages in Philippines make plea in video surrounded by heavily armed men

[KimKaphwan]

Foreign hostages in Philippines make plea in video surrounded by heavily armed men

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 13 October, 2015, 8:46pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 13 October, 2015, 8:46pm

Agence France-Presse in Manila

This image taken from a video uploaded to YouTube shows gunmen standing behind John Ridsdel, Robert Hall, Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Hall's partner, Marites Flor, who were kidnapped last month in the southern Philippines. Photo: YouTube

Three foreign men and a Filipina kidnapped last month in the southern Philippines have appeared in a video posted online, making demands for the Islamic militants who abducted them.

Gunmen raided a luxury marina near the major southern city of Davao on September 21, abducting the Norwegian owner of the resort, two Canadian tourists and one of their girlfriends.

No group immediately claimed responsibility but the video uploaded on YouTube on Monday appeared to confirm it was the Abu Sayyaf, which has a long history of kidnappings-for-ransom in the southern Philippines.

In the video, the three foreigners appealed for Philippine authorities to halt military assaults against the gunmen.

CCTV footage captured the terrifying moment the abductors took the hostage from their moored boats. Photo: Philippine National Police Service

The hostages were sitting on the ground, surrounded by at least eight men holding high-powered machine guns. One man also holds a large knife.

After the three foreigners spoke, one of the gunmen, with a scarf and sunglasses completely covering his face, spoke in English, repeating his demand for military operations to stop against “us”.

He said once the military operations stopped, the kidnappers would be prepared to start negotiations for the hostages’ freedom.

In all other Abu Sayyaf kidnappings of foreigners, the group has demanded and often received large sums of money for the release of its captives.

A policeman points to getaway boat allegedly used by the kidnappers. Photo: AFP

The Canadians abducted were John Ridsdel, 68, and Robert Hall, 50, and the Norwegian resort owner was Kjartan Sekkingstad, 56.

Hall’s girlfriend, Marites Flor, was also abducted. She did not speak in the video.

Philippine authorities had previously said they did not know if the Abu Sayyaf was behind the abductions, nor where the hostages were being held.

This was despite security analysts saying it was almost certain the Abu Sayyaf was responsible, and that the victims were being held on Jolo island, the group’s stronghold about 1,000 kilometres south of Manila.

The marina bay of Holiday Oceanview resort in Samal islan where the two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian employee and a Filipina were kidnapped. Photo: AFP

In the video, Ridsdel referred specifically to nearby artillery fire and to overhead flights.

When asked to comment on the demands, the regional military spokesman for the area, Captain Antonio Bulao, said troops had conducted an assault that included artillery fire against an Abu Sayyaf leader on Jolo on October 8.

Bulao, spokesman for the Western Mindanao command, said the assault was aimed at Radullan Sahiron, who is on the US government’s list of most wanted “terrorists”.

Sahiron was involved in the kidnappings of three Americans in 2001 from a resort in the southwestern Philippines, according to a US government website, which offers a $1 million reward for bringing him to justice.

One of the Americans was beheaded.

Bulao said Sahiron was believed to be currently holding a Dutch birdwatcher kidnapped from a southern Philippine island in 2012, as well as two unnamed Filipinos.

The Abu Sayyaf is holding three other foreigners, a Korean and two Malaysians, military officials said.

An Abu Sayyaf leader appeared online last year pledging allegiance to Islamic State.

But Philippine authorities and security analysts say the group has little religious ideology, and is primarily concerned with getting money through kidnappings.

 

[borom]

Re: Foreign hostages in Philippines make plea in video surrounded by heavily armed me

I have no sympathy for anyone going to Pinoyland and getting into trouble.

I have been to many countries and there is only one which I swear never to return-the only country where I will not walk on the streets or even take a taxi and will move around only by private car-Pinoyland.

Even Cambodia feels safer as I still dare to walk on the streets.

 

[Dynasty]

Re: Foreign hostages in Philippines make plea in video surrounded by heavily armed me


Philippine army rejects call for negotiations to free hostages who appear in new video held by men with guns and machetes

No room for talk but army says hostages safety is foremost in their minds

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 14 October, 2015, 11:51pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 14 October, 2015, 11:51pm

Reuters in Manila

Colonel Restituto Padilla addressed the media in Manila.Photo: AP

The Philippine army has rejected demands by Islamist militants to start negotiations for the release of three abducted foreign tourists and a Filipino woman and halt an offensive on a remote southern island.

Two Canadians, a Norwegian and the Filipino, who were taken hostage at a resort on Samal island on September 21, have appealed by video to Philippine authorities to stop military operations on the island of Jolo, to the west of Samal, and to Canada to help negotiate for their freedom.

There has been speculation the four had been taken hundreds of miles west to Jolo, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent Islamist militant group, known for bomb attacks, kidnappings and beheadings in the southern Philippines.

"There is no negotiation that can be made with any of those who are perpetrating this crime," military spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla said. "We cannot, as of the matter, discuss operational details, but we can assure you the safety of the hostages is always foremost in our minds."

The army commander on Jolo island, General Alan Arrojado, said the military would not stop operations against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf because there was no proof the hostages were in that area. "It may be a mock up scenario, it could be taken elsewhere and made it appear to be on Jolo to stop our operations," he said about the video appeal of the hostages. Asked about the video, a Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the government was "pursuing all appropriate channels" to seek further information.

Armed men with covered faces were seen in the video standing behind the four hostages who made appeals to halt army offensives and to negotiate for their release. All of them were shown to be sitting in a jungle while the militants with covered faces held rifles and machetes and shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest in Arabic).

The militants' leader spoke fluent English, demanding the artillery attacks be halted and the negotiation of the release of the hostages. He did not identify what group they belonged to or their location.

"The positive thing that we derive from this video is that the kidnap victims are in good health, seem to be, and that is, as far as we are concerned, part of the good news that we got out of it," Padilla said.