Naval blockade set up vs kidnappers of 2 tourists

MANILA, Philippines - The military has set up a naval blockade around Tawi-Tawi after unidentified armed men abducted two European tourists last Wednesday.

Navy Capt. Renato Yongke, commander of the Naval Task Force 62, said two Navy gunboats, two patrol boats and a team of Special Warfare Group (SWAG) are enforcing the blockade.

“All motor boats (in the area) are being inspected,” Yongke said yesterday.

Five gunmen abducted two European tourists taking photographs of rare birds and their Filipino guide last Wednesday in Tawi-Tawi, police reports have indicated.

Senior Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, Tawi-Tawi police provincial chief, identified the victims as Dutch Elwold Horn, 52; Swiss Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47; and their Filipino guide Ivan Sarenas, 35, of Davao City.

Police said Sarenas was able to jump from the kidnappers’ boat and was later rescued by fishermen off Languyan Island east of Bonggao, Tawi-Tawi.

Jocson said the victims were in a motorized boat when they were intercepted by five men armed with two M16 rifles and two .45 caliber pistols at around 1:50 p.m. off sitio Luuk-Luuk, Barangay Pang’n, Panglima Sugala town.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the Navy Task Force 62 had been directed by the Western Mindanao Command to support police forces in the area.

Malacañang yesterday advised foreigners visiting the country to check with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) first before traveling to remote areas to avoid being victimized by criminals like the latest kidnapping in Mindanao.

“We strongly advise that tourists check with our DFA, as well as their own embassies, regarding advisories on conditions that may affect their travel and other arrangements while visiting the country,” a Palace statement read.

Meanwhile, the British embassy yesterday warned Britons traveling to Mindanao to beware of kidnappers.

“There is also a threat from kidnapping in the Philippines, particularly in the southern Philippines. Kidnapping could occur anywhere, including on coastal and island resorts and on dive boats and sites in the Sulu Sea. Foreigners have been targeted in rural, urban and coastal areas in the past,” the travel advisory said.  – With Delon Porcalla, John Unson, Roel Pareño, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Pia Lee-Brago, AP