Indonesian sailors seized in Philippines

Jun 19 02:16 UTC 2002

Gunmen have abducted four Indonesian crew-members of a tugboat in the southern
Philippines. 
It is unclear who the gunmen were, but the incident took place in the area
where the Muslim rebel group, the Abu Sayyaf, is active. 

On 7 June two hostages - including an American missionary - were killed during
a rescue mission, and a third freed from the Abu Sayyaf after a year in
captivity. 

Philippines officials have speculated that the Abu Sayyaf might now be looking
for more hostages. 

Barge adrift

The four Indonesians were snatched from a tug towing a coal-laden barge from
Indonesia to the central Philippine city of Cebu. 

The incident happened off Basilan island, where the Abu Sayyaf have their
base. 

The captain and three crew - the chief officer, second officer and chief
engineer - were abducted, and the barge cut adrift near the island of Tamuk,
just west of Basilan. 

There were 10 crew in all, but it is not clear why only four were captured.


The six left behind said eight men in military fatigues had approached the
barge on a speedboat and forced their four colleagues into their boat,
according to Sthillainathan Thillai, a manager for the tugboat's Singaporean
owner. 

The manager said there had been no ransom demands from the hijackers. 

The barge was listed as missing late on Monday, and later found by Philippine
Navy vessels. 

US troops 

On Monday, US troops on Basilan training the Philippine army to crush the Abu
Sayyaf came under fire for the first time. 

A spokesman for the Pentagon told AFP news agency that two US Marines who were
guarding a construction site on the outskirts of Basilan's capital were
attacked and returned fire. 

The identity of the attackers is not clear, but they are suspected to belong
to the Abu Sayyaf, which the US links to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda movement.


The group says it is fighting for an independent Muslim state in the southern
Philippines, but it is better known for kidnapping for ransom. 

On 7 June Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap and US Christian missionary Martin
Burnham were shot dead in a failed rescue mission by the Philippines military.


Mr Burnham's wife, Gracia, was injured but was freed and has since returned
to the US.