Abus behead 2 Vietnamese

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines  – The decapitated bodies of two Vietnamese crewmen kidnapped last year by the Abu Sayyaf were found yesterday in a remote village in Basilan.

The bodies of Hoang Thong and Hoang Va Hai were found by villagers in the town of Sumisip, Joint Task Force Basilan
 commander Col. Juvymax Uy said.

The victims had their hands tied behind their backs and their severed heads placed beside them, officials said.

The two were among six crewmen of the Vietnamese cargo vessel MV Royal 16 taken by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen last November in waters off Basilan.

One of the six crewmen was rescued in June while three others – Pham Minh Tuan, Do Trung Hieu and Tran Khac Dung – remain captive.

Uy said the bodies would undergo forensic examination as authorities coordinate with the Vietnamese embassy in Manila. Soldiers and policemen are getting more details about the incident, he added.

Uy said they were still trying to ascertain why the Abu Sayyaf executed the captives without issuing any ultimatum for ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf is known to behead its hostages unless ransom payments are made.

“This is a desperate measure of the Abu Sayyaf group because they see they have no gains from their kidnap-for-ransom activity,” regional military spokesperson Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay said.

Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. condoled with the families of the slain victims, saying, “We grieve as we strongly condemn the barbaric beheading.”

The military and police have been exhausting all efforts to rescue the kidnap victims, he added.

“In no way does the Abu Sayyaf group represent our Muslim brothers who are true followers of Islam,” Galvez said.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujiv Hataman also condemned the killing.

“We in the ARMM government condemn the brutal decapitation of these two foreigners. It was done by people that do not have religion,” Hataman said.

He said the Abu Sayyaf are trying to make a statement that they are still a force to reckon with even after hundreds of their fighters had already surrendered to the government in the past 14 months.

In February, gunmen attacked another Vietnamese cargo ship M/V Giang Hain in Sulu Sea, killing a Vietnamese crewman and abducting six others, including the vessel’s captain, the Philippine Coast Guard and the ship’s owner said.

President Duterte and his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts have struggled to deal with a wave of attacks by the Abu Sayyaf and allied gunmen who target tugboats and cargo ships along their busy sea borders.

The three countries launched coordinated maritime patrols last month to intensify their fight against Islamic militants, piracy, kidnapping, terrorism and other crimes in regional waters.

The Abu Sayyaf are holding a total of 22 hostages, including 16 foreigners, according to Petinglay.

German national Jurgen Kantner, 70, was beheaded in February after the kidnappers’ demand for P30 million was not met.

Last year, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian hostages.  – Michael Punongbayan, John Unson, AP, AFP