Ferry hijack in Philippines

Ferry hijack in Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, PHILIPPINES (DPA): Heavily armed pirates
hijacked an inter-island passenger ferry in the southern
Philippines, taking captive eight commuters and crew, a local
official said yesterday.

Ahmad Omar, a town mayor in Sulu province, some 990 kilometers
south of Manila, said the pirates were demanding 175,000 pesos
(US$6,000) in ransom for the captives.

Omar said the pirates were believed to be renegade members of
the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) - the main Islamic
group in the southern region of Mindanao that signed a peace pact
with the government on Sept. 2 last year.

The pirates initially took 25 commuters aboard the ferry last
week, but later released 17 who paid an undetermined amount of
ransom. The ferry was on its way to the capital town of Jolo from
the town of Luuk.