Foreign captives held by Philippines militants appeal for help (updated)

TVI Pacific

10/03/2016 18:25

(Adds comment from Canadian government, company, paragraphs 7, 
8) 
    MANILA, March 10 (Reuters) - Three foreigners kidnapped by 
militants in the Philippines nearly six months ago have appealed 
to their governments for help to secure their release, as their 
al Qaeda-linked captors issued a one month deadline for their 
demands to be met. 
    The three foreign men, who Philippine authorities have 
identified as two Canadians and a Norwegian, were shown in a 
video clip, along with a Filipino woman kidnapped with them, 
crouching on the ground with gunmen standing over them. 
    "To the Canadian prime minister and to the Canadian people 
in the world, please, do as needed to meet their demands, within 
one month or they will kill me, they will execute us," said one 
of the men who identified himself as John Ridsdel, a Canadian 
mining consultant. 
    The three men were handcuffed and were thin, bearded and 
shirtless. The video clip of about a minute and a half was 
posted on a Facebook page linked to Philippine Islamists. 
    The four were kidnapped from a beach resort on a southern 
island last September. They are believed to be held in the 
jungle on Jolo island, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf militant 
group. 
    Another of the men, who identified himself as Robert Hall, 
another Canadian, said he did not know how much money their 
captors were demanding but he appealed for help quickly. 
    A spokeswoman for Canada's foreign minister said the 
government was aware of the video but did not want to comment or 
provide new information in case it endangered the captives. 
    Calgary-based TVI Pacific  TVI.TO , where Ridsdel was a 
semi-retired consultant, declined to comment. 
    The third man, who identified himself as Norwegian Kjartan 
Sekkingstad, made a similar appeal.  
    It was the third time the militants had released such video 
appeals from the captives. 
    In November, Ridsdel said in a video the militants were 
demanding one billion pesos ($21 million) for each of them. 
    A militant spokesman appeared in the latest video to issue a 
one-month ultimatum though he did not specify demands. 
    "We will do something terrible against these captives," said 
the masked spokesman, who gave the date as March 8. 
    The September raid on the resort was a reminder of the 
precarious security in the resource-rich southern Philippines 
despite a 2014 peace agreement with the largest Muslim rebel 
group that ended 45 years of conflict. 
    Abu Sayyaf militants are holding other foreigners including 
one from the Netherlands, one from Japan, and an Italian 
missionary. 
 
 (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; additional reporting by Rod Nickel 
in Ottawa; Editing by Robert Birsel and David Gregorio) 
 ((manuel.mogato@thomsonreuters.com; +63 2841 8913; Reuters 
Messaging: manuel.mogato.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: PHILIPPINES MILITANTS/