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.