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| Southeast Asia |
| One of four kidnapped seamen recovered |
| 2002-06-19 |
| Philippine troops have recovered one of four Indonesian seamen abducted by gunmen from a tugboat in waters near Sulu, the military said yesterday. But the fate of the three other Indonesians seized by the group on Monday remains unknown. Shipping officials had said the gunmen were suspected to be members of Abu Sayyaf. Ferdinan Joel, second officer of the tugboat, was recovered by troops and police in Luuk town in Jolo yesterday morning, Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) chief Major Gen. Ernesto Carolina told reporters. Carolina gave no other details on how troops recovered Joel. The four were kidnapped from a Singaporean-owned tugboat as it was towing a barge loaded with coal off Basilan island. Could be Abu Sayyaf trying to regain some sort of protection, could be another group — MILF used to like that sort of thing, and the Pentagon Gang. Or it could be a business rival. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |