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| Southeast Asia |
| Gunmen seize teachers in southern Philippines |
| 2005-09-10 |
| Heavily armed men on Friday seized a group of schoolteachers in a southern Philippine province, a Catholic bishop said. Bishop Martin Jumaod said the still-undetermined number of teachers were on their way to school on the outskirts of Isabela City in Basilan province, 900km south of Manila, when they were snatched by the gunmen. Police were still verifying the kidnapping report. "The details are still sketchy," the bishop said, adding that the information on the abductions was relayed to him by a staff member of the Christian Children Fund, a non-governmental organisation operating in Basilan. A few years ago, several teachers and schoolchildren were seized by Moslem Abu Sayyaf rebels in the nearby town of Lamitan. Some of the teachers were beheaded, including Catholic priest Rhoel Gallardo. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |