Koreans residing in the Philippines are growing more wary of organized kidnappings there, particularly in light of the latest incident, in which a 74-year-old man was discovered dead 10 months after his abduction by a kidnap-for-ransom group.
This year, 10 Koreans have been killed in the Philippines, raising alarm in Seoul on how to better protect its nationals residing in or visiting the Southeast Asian nation.
Concern has also grown over the presence of kidnapping groups, which assign different people to oversee different stages of the abduction process, from targeting victims and identifying their locations to the negotiation process.
On Sunday, Thien Nyuk Fun, a Malaysian woman who was kidnapped by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, was released after six months in Sulu province, in the southern Philippines.
The 74-year-old man, however, only identified by his surname Hong, who was kidnapped at the beginning of this year by the same group, was not so fortunate.
Hong was abducted by the kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayyaf on Jan. 24, while he was visiting his son’s home in Zamboanga Sibugay province, near Sulu.
Abu Sayyaf bandits operate around the remote Sulu province and reportedly demanded a ransom of 500 million pesos ($10.6 million) for Hong three weeks after he was kidnapped. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
This is just another example of why all foreigners should stay OUT of western Mindanao! There have been sporadic kidnappings elsewhere but the bulk of them are concentrated in the western Mindanao area. Why should someone expect to walk into a hot bed of terrorist activity and kidnappings and have the luxury of being ignored by people who only see them as a means to an end, i.e. money to fund their activities.
It is unfortunate that this old man was kidnapped and died in captivity somehow but he does bear some of the responsibility for going to an area ripe for kidnapping foreigners. Even though I live on the eastern side of Mindanao, I am always on the watch for situations that seem not quite right.
JoeC
10 years ago
The U.S. State Department publishes travel alerts and warnings. Here is what it says for that area of the Philippines. This warning regularly updated but it is not new. It’s been pretty much the same since … forever.
I wonder how many Americans are aware of this service or even bother to check it before they plan their exotic vacations? I wonder if the Korean government provides similar advisories and if Korean citizens utilize it?
This is just another example of why all foreigners should stay OUT of western Mindanao! There have been sporadic kidnappings elsewhere but the bulk of them are concentrated in the western Mindanao area. Why should someone expect to walk into a hot bed of terrorist activity and kidnappings and have the luxury of being ignored by people who only see them as a means to an end, i.e. money to fund their activities.
It is unfortunate that this old man was kidnapped and died in captivity somehow but he does bear some of the responsibility for going to an area ripe for kidnapping foreigners. Even though I live on the eastern side of Mindanao, I am always on the watch for situations that seem not quite right.
The U.S. State Department publishes travel alerts and warnings. Here is what it says for that area of the Philippines. This warning regularly updated but it is not new. It’s been pretty much the same since … forever.
I wonder how many Americans are aware of this service or even bother to check it before they plan their exotic vacations? I wonder if the Korean government provides similar advisories and if Korean citizens utilize it?