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Gunmen kidnap foreign tourists from Philippines resort

Unidentified gunmen have kidnapped two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian resort manager and a Filipino woman from a southern Philippine marina in a region where Islamic extremists are active.

The Philippine authorities set up a naval blockade around Samal island in an effort to prevent the kidnappers from reaching Basilan, a stronghold of the Islamic terror group Abu Sayyaf.

Other foreign and Philippine hostages have been held on Basilan while the militants have negotiated ransoms as they have stepped up their abduction business in recent years.

Several gunmen in two motorised outriggers conducted the night-time raid on the Oceanview resort on Samal, an island renowned for its pristine white sand beaches and dive spots.

Samal is near Davao City, the largest city on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines where Islamic groups have fought a long-running insurgency.

The attack came despite recent improvements in security after a peace initiative was signed with the largest Muslim rebel group to end a 45-year conflict that had killed about 120,000 people and displaced 2 million.

The Abu Sayyaf faction, which has links to al-Qaeda but recently pledged allegiance to Isil, was not party to that agreement and has increasingly turned to hostage-taking to raise funds.

The militants are still holding other hostages, including two Malaysians, a Dutch bird watcher kidnapped nearly three years ago, and a town mayor.

The kidnapped Canadians were named as John Ridsdel, a mining consultant who works in the Philippines, and Robert Hall. Also seized was the Philippine partner of one of the Canadians and Kjartan Sekkingstad, the Oceanview’s Norwegian manager.

"Four people were taken but we do not know what group was behind the attack," Capt Alberto Caber, the regional military spokesman. "It appeared the foreigners were the targets, they were not taken at random.”

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