MANILA: The Mindanao-based Islamist terror group Abu Sayyaf is demanding RM20 million or about P230 million in exchange for the freedom of seven Indonesian sailors they abducted last week, the military said.
The group beheaded in succession in April and May two Canadian hostages after their demand to collect a ransom of $6.5 million each was not met.
The Canadian victims, along with a Norwegian and a Filipina, were abducted in Samal Island in Davao City last September 2015.
The Filipina hostage was released this week with no ransom. The Norwegian national, however, remains a captive.
Major Filemon Tan Jr., chief of the Public Affairs Office of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said in a media interview, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has gotten in touch with the families of the kidnap victims.
“It was said that the abductors contacted the family, but as to the Armed Forces, we do not talk to these people, that’s why they do not give us the demand,” he told ANC’s Dateline Philippines.
“It was said to be a ransom of 20-million ringgits for the seven people,” he added.
The seven Indonesians were on their way to Cagayan de Oro to deliver coal when they were abducted.
“We are studying it further, we need more reports to identify what group it is, and we are prepared to conduct operations against that group,” Tan said.
The military is also not able to pinpoint the exact location of the abduction “because of the open seas and one report said that the navigational equipment was taken from the ship”, according to the report.
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf group but asked to give him time to deal with them.
“I cannot do it just immediately. There are things that I need which we do not have now. But there will be a time, there will be a reckoning. And when it comes, I will just say ‘Surrender unconditionally. Release all prisoners, hostages or we fight,’” CNN Philippines quoted Duterte as saying.
Duterte added he will only confront the issue if he gets a “firm commitment” from Moro groups in ongoing peace efforts that they have “peaceful intentions.”
