Southern Philippines on high alert after tourists abducted
Gunmen have abducted four people, including two Canadian tourists, after a raid on an island resort in the restive Southern Philippines.
Two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian resort manager and a Filipino woman were kidnapped, Philippine army captain Alberto Caber said.
Philippine authorities have named the Canadian tourists as John Ridsel and Robert Hall.
The Norwegian, Kjartan Sekkingstad, is the manager of the resort and the Filipino woman, named Teresita Flor, is believed to be the partner of one of the kidnapped Canadians.
A local army spokesman said it appeared the four were picked out deliberately by their kidnappers, rather than selected at random.
An American-Japanese couple managed to escape, said police spokesman Antonio Rivera.
The attackers and their hostages fled by boat and a naval blockade was set up around the island to prevent them reaching another island in the southwest known as a hideout for Islamic militants.
The region has been beset with kidnappings targeting foreigners since the 1990s.
The main militant group in the region, Abu Sayyaf, abducted a German couple last year who were released six months later after Abu Sayyaf claimed a $5 million ransom demand was met.
The Foreign Office has reaffirmed its warning to British travellers to steer clear of the area.
It had previously issued a travel warning in southwest Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago ‘because of ongoing terrorist activity and clashes between military and insurgent groups’.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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