EDITORIAL - Thriving industry

In Somalia, the most profitable industry reflects the depth of the breakdown of peace and order. Somali bandits have reaped millions of dollars from hijacking ships and holding the crew for ransom. The lucrative activity makes it seem unnecessary for certain Somalis to rebuild their shattered nation the hard way, by creating the environment that will encourage economic activity, educating their people and putting in place a functioning government.

A similar problem prevailed in Sulu at the height of the notoriety of the Abu Sayyaf under the command of Ghalib Andang. Economic activity was derailed and public education disrupted, but “Commander Robot” knew how to share his profits with the right people. Local government officials, military officers and even a high-profile national official were rumored to have shared in the ransom, estimated at more than $30 million, that Andang and his group collected in exchange for foreign captives and local journalists. Andang was later caught, maimed and then killed in a prison riot in Metro Manila. There are no indications that he ever realized his dream of buying an orchard. But the ransom he collected has not been recovered.

Certain individuals continue to enjoy the proceeds of Andang’s atrocities. As far as criminal activities go, this is a success story. And such success stories continue to encourage others to perpetrate similar crimes. In the past months, there has been a kidnapping spree in several provinces in Mindanao. The latest victim is a hardware owner who was kidnapped the other night by six armed men in Cotabato City as he and his wife emerged from the Estosan Garden Hotel where they had played in the casino. Police said the kidnappers shot it out with hotel security guards before fleeing with the hardware owner.

Kidnappings have been reported even in Metro Manila, with ransom payments resulting in the release of victims. A few victims have been killed. In Mindanao, notorious bandit groups, Islamic secessionists and extremists have been linked to the kidnappings. In Metro Manila, organized crime rings, rogue cops and soldiers have been implicated in several of the cases. All of these groups must be stopped from kidnapping and enjoying the fruits of their crime.