DAVAO CITY, Philippines, Oct. 14 (UPI) — The Philippine government is examining an online video that seems to show three foreigners and a single Filipino who were kidnapped last month at a resort.
The hostages, Canadians Robert Hall and John Ridsdel; Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, who is the resort’s manager; and Marites Flor, Hall’s Filipino girlfriend, were kidnapped on Sept. 21 at the Holiday Oceanview resort in the Philippines’ Samal Island.
In the video, Ridsdel appears to be seen asking on the Canadian and Philippine governments to halt military attacks in the region.
The video appears to show the Abu Sayyaf rebel group, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State last year.
“We beseech the Canadian government to please, please help us and the Philippine government … by stopping all of the operations that have been going on, like artillery fire which came near us,” Ridsdel says in the video.
Samal Island, near Davao City in the Philippine’s Mindanao island, is considered relatively safe. The last similar incident occurred in 2001 when an Islamist separatist group attempted to kidnap tourists at another resort.
Authorities believe the victims were targeted and not taken randomly. The Philippine military said the government does not negotiate with hostage-takers, who are often Islamist militants in the south.
“The policy of the government as well as others who have been in this kind of situation is that there is no negotiation that can be made with any of those who perpetrating this crime,” Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Restituto Padilla told GMA News. “As far as we are concerned, that is what applies.”
“The positive thing that we derived from this video is that the kidnap victims are in good health,” Padilla added.
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