Seafarer killed, seven abducted off the southern Philippines
A Vietnamese seafarer was killed and another seven kidnapped in the Sulu Sea of the Philippines yesterday evening.
Gunmen, likely linked to the Abu Sayyaf terror group, attacked the Vietnamese general cargo ship Giang Hai. Philippine authorities later found the ship and 17 crew, including the dead seafarer, off Baguan Island. The other seven crew are likely to join a growing number of abducted seafarers in the region with Abu Sayyaf tending to demand stiff ransoms for their release.
The area around the southern Philippines has become a hotbed for piracy over the last couple of years with the navies of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia now joining forces to patrol the dangerous seas. Recently the Philippine government even reached out to China for naval help to try and eradicate the scourge.