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| Southeast Asia |
| Abu Sayyaf likely behind Vietnamese freighter attack |
| 2017-02-22 |
| [AFP] Abu Sayyaf militants were likely behind an attack on a Vietnamese cargo ship in which one crew member was killed and six others abducted, Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Tuesday. The MV Giang Hai was hit by unknown gunmen Sunday near the southernmost Philippine island of Baguan near the Malaysian coast. Yasay said, "We can only assume that they were taken by Abu Sayyaf people but this has to be verified," but added that it was "likely". Prior to the latest incident the military said the Abu Sayyaf were holding 27 hostages. They include Filipino, Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and German hostages, as well as a Dutchman abducted in 2012. Yasay said Vietnam's foreign minister raised the issue at an informal ASEAN ministerial retreat in the Philippines this week. At least six Vietnamese crew members of another vessel had been abducted in the area in November last year. |
| Posted by:ryuge |