Philippine gunmen raid tourist resort, kidnap 20<\/p>\n
PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (Agencies): Gunmen believed to be
\nthe Abu Sayyaf rebels seized 20 people including two American
\nmissionaries in a dawn raid on a tourist resort in the southern
\nPhilippines on Sunday, officials said.<\/p>\n
A third American and 17 Filipinos were also seized in the raid
\non Dos Palmas resort off Palawan island.<\/p>\n
Hours after the attack, a motorboat thought to be carrying the
\ngunmen and their hostages was spotted by military aircraft near
\nthe maritime border with Malaysia, said national security adviser
\nRoilo Golez.<\/p>\n
\"We are conducting pursuit operations... We have deployed navy
\nvessels in the area,\" Golez said. \"They are traveling slowly
\napparently because of the many people on board.\"<\/p>\n
Manila had told Kuala Lumpur that the gunmen might try to slip
\ninto Malaysian territory \"and the Malaysian navy is stepping up
\nits border patrol\", a military spokesman said.<\/p>\n
Two of the kidnapped foreigners were an American couple who
\nhad been working with minority groups in the Philippines for 15
\nyears and were on holiday at the resort, their group, New Tribes
\nMission, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The military described the raiders as \"terrorists\" while a
\npolice officer said they were believed to be Moro separatist Abu
\nSayyaf rebels.<\/p>\n
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued a statement
\ncondemning the raid as a \"dastardly criminal act by ruthless
\nbandits\".<\/p>\n
Arroyo gave an assurance that the government would \"do
\neverything within its powers\" to ensure the safety of the 20
\nhostages. As part of this effort, she has dispatched the military
\nchief to supervise the operations against the kidnappers.<\/p>\n
The government has also deployed three patrol boats, one plane
\nand two helicopters to assist police and soldiers in tracking
\ndown the bandits, according to the statement from the Malacanang
\npresidential palace.<\/p>\n
Arroyo had earlier taken a hard line stance against the Abu
\nSayyaf after they threatened to behead an American hostage
\nabducted last year and who was rescued by the military in April.<\/p>\n
Military officers at first said two of the kidnapped tourists
\nwere American and the third was from Spain but police and
\npresidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao later said all three were
\nAmerican.<\/p>\n
Thirteen domestic tourists, including an eight-year-old boy,
\nand four resort guards and staff were also abducted.<\/p>\n
Abu Sayyaf rebels sparked worldwide outrage last year when
\nthey snatched more than 40 foreigners and Filipinos from two
\ntourist resorts in Malaysia and from Jolo island in the southern
\nPhilippines.<\/p>\n
Many of those victims were released after big ransoms were
\npaid. Some were rescued by soldiers and others escaped. One
\nFilipino resort worker kidnapped is still held.<\/p>\n
The masked gunmen, armed with a machinegun and assault rifles,
\nraided the resort on Arrecifi island, near the Palawan provincial
\ncapital Puerto Princesa, at about 5 a.m. police said.<\/p>",
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