this was on my list of places to visit january 2016.
http://www.ndbcnews.com.ph/news/arme...n-samal-island
this was on my list of places to visit january 2016.
http://www.ndbcnews.com.ph/news/arme...n-samal-island
Last edited by Arthur Little; 26th April 2016 at 16:00.
Seems that the Canadian guy was a mining executive.. Its possible that he was the target by NPA perhaps?? They dont like miners up there.
If it was Abu Sayyaf they probably would have taken as many hostages as possible.. A very risky prospect for them as many places at sea for them to be cut off by the coast guard..
I could be completely wrong however!
This is a terrible happening and so far no explanations.
By all accounts the kidnappers spoke fluent English and Tagalog only.
I don't think NPA or AS
my partner spoke to her dad this morning and he told her the story going round is kidnappers could be
from the compostela valley.
I would imagine those members of this forum who like to preach on about how safe Mindanao and Davao is
Are probably crying into their cornflakes at the moment......
The British governments advice about avoiding Mindanao is there for a reason
"Safe as houses" pull the other one its got bells on it
Funny how we get these comments from people who dont live here.
Do i need to live in Iraq or Syria to know that they are not very safe places to live in
People living in Mindanao will naturally claim that it's as safe as anything but they are the ones who are providing this forum with misinformation.
A brief search of the internet will provide a much more truthful and realistic view on how safe Mindanao actually is......
The argument normally put forward by expats resident in Mindanao is that you have lived there for a number of years and nothing has ever happened to you = well you got lucky
I would feel sorry for any person reading this forum and then traveling to Mindanao thinking thats its a safe part of the Philippines to then ending up being kidnapped.........
On CCTV.
https://youtu.be/j3whhfqbqzM
The advice they give on most countries is enough to give some folks the Heebie-jeebies.
For instance they say the chances of an act of Terrorism in Spain is highly likely and if that doesn't happen the chances are you might fall of a balconyDoes it stop around 10 million Brits going there every year?
Am i more than likely to be kidnapped in Mindanao than London... Yes, however if you fear so many things you are never going to live life to the fullest IMO
Canadian kidnapped in Philippines has extensive security training
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/20...-training.html
Quite an interesting read.
I do hope he can make best use of his training and knowledge to help the others cope with this terrible situation they find themselves in
I'm not going to comment on whether Mindanao is dangerous or not, I am not an expert on that and couldn't say.
Just a couple of things, first if the NPA are really what they claim to be, they shouldn't really care less about foreigners, unless they were involved in economic activity threatening to locals. Of course, things get twisted and perhaps they are.
The bigger thing - a bomb goes off in Istanbul, some tourists get stabbed in Marmaris, and Turkey becomes unsafe for tourists. Some separatists in a region of Turkey have a shoot-out - despite that region being further away than the UK is to Italy, then the beach resorts overlooking Greece become unsafe to tourists.
Demonstrations in Bangkok and the government advises against going to Thailand............all of Thailand.
Someone sets off a bomb in Mallorca - does the home office advise against all visits to Spain? Do they advise on avoiding Magaluf - do they hells like.
Selective much?
A very interesting couple of reads giving some insights in some of the people captured.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle26468651/
This gives an interesting account of what happened as reported by witnesses.
Seems the Canadian mining executive became involved after taking a decision to try to help others.
If the witness report is correct then he's a very brave guy. I'd go as far as to say hero.
Many other foreign tourists decided not to get involved after being threatened at gunpoint.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle26490312/
im not checking forums as frequently over the last few months-so perhaps you could do me a favour and show me the posts where people were preaching how safe it is? i think most here know there are problems in mindanao but unless you can tell me manila or other parts of the world are safer than most of mindanao since you probably havent been there -then dont you think you should comment on other matters? so far i have been there at least 9 times -for weeks or more at a time from north to south incl some areas of cotobato etc and except for some dangerous roads/drivers -i think there is more chance id be hit by a car crossing the road in manila than being kidnapped in mindanao ,so my advice is to stay in your bed where its 100% safe.![]()
I never knew a thread could not be expanded to include other subjects and as these kidnappings did occur in Mindanao so i feel my comments are both relevant and valid
I still maintain that Mindanao is not safe Island for British nationals to visit and my postings will continue to reflect that.
I am sure you will agree that a good forum welcomes all views and thoughts even if one does not agree with them.
Mindanao does have a long history of kidnappings bombings and shootings going back many years so i would say that the USA and Uk Governments advise about not going to Mindanao is based on hard facts and on how many attacks happen there on a yearly basis
Only last week on Mindanao an eleven year girl was killed in a bus bombing and 32 other people were injured
Certain parts of Mindanao should be avoided by tourists, but not the majority of it, as with most countries.
The official travel advice from the Australian government is enough to put people off coming here, but if you live here you would say it is safe:
*We advise you to a exercise normal safety precautions in the United Kingdom (UK). You should exercise common sense and look out for suspicious behaviour.
*We assess there is a heightened threat of terrorist attack in a number of European countries, including the UK.
Keith - Administrator
Samal kidnap victims brought to Sulu - military source
Manila, Philippines - An intelligence source in the military indicated on Thursday that the three foreigners and Filipino woman who were abducted from a resort on Samal Island, Davao del Norte appear to have been taken straight to Sulu by their kidnappers.
http://www.interaksy...military-source
Looks like the military were warned but didn't take necessary action?
http://www.mb.com.ph...4oo0shklVdvZ.99Meanwhile, an intelligence officer disclosed that the military received information on the first week of September about the plan of the ASG to kidnap foreigners in Davao.
“We have a single source who said the Abu Sayyaf have plans to kidnap foreign nationals in Davao,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity said.
FCO issues new warning after kidnapping at Filipino holiday resort
http://www.travelmole.com/news_featu...ews_id=2018592
For the record i maintain that London is not safe at all and its only a matter of time before we get another attack here in London from Muslim extremists
I cant do anything about it because i live here but i can certainly avoid parts of the Philippines like Mindanao for obvious reasons
I think you have to evaluate your safety by yourself, some will be more cautious than others. I have took some risks before that others thought I was mad but I believed at the time the risks were minimal. I was in Manila when the peninsula hotel was under siege by the army after a so called coup, there was shooting but I was interested and walked up there from Glorietta, very slim chances of danger IMO. Got pulled off a bus at gunpoint in Mindanao, luckily it was the Phils army. On the other hand this year I decided to cancel my boat trip to Dapitan after the beheading there.
Ive lived in London most of my adult life but would never consider the risks of danger very high, even if a terrorist group said tonight that they will plant a bomb in London tomorrow I wouldn't change my plans to go. My reasoning would be is that London is such a big city that the chances of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time would be very slim.
Personal safety is how you yourself evaluate the risks.
I chatted to someone on samal about this yesterday,speculation its a kidnap for randsom because of the foreigners relatively high profile,wouldnt put me off visiting samal again despite the fact that lightening can and does strike twice at times.
Sometimes you're flush and sometimes you're bust, and when you're up, it's never as good as it seems, and when you're down, you never think you'll be up again. But life goes on.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the passion that she shows to the outside world.
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