DAVAO CITY – A Korean ship captain and a Filipino crew member were taken captive by armed men off the coast of Tawi-Tawi on Thursday.
Major Filemon Tan, public information chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City, said Korean vessel MV Dong Bang Giant was hijacked by at least 10 armed men on a speedboat near Bongao town.
The victims were identified as ship captain Park Chul Hing and crewman Glenn Alindajao from Cebu.
Tan said initial reports indicated the perpetrators were Abu Sayyaf bandits under Jul Hassan, a subleader of Idang Susukan.
“The Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi alerted all units and dispatched military assets for counteraction,” Tan said.
Tan said resources of local government units were also mobilized to track down the perpetrators.
“As of this press time, validation and intelligence monitoring are currently being conducted by the military in coordination with local chief executives and the locals to track down the perpetrators and safely rescue the victims,” Tan added. JE/rga