Idiots: Pacifist peace activist kidnapped in southern Philippines

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines: A Sri Lankan peace activist was kidnapped Friday by suspected Islamic militants in a remote southern Philippines village, the latest in a series of abductions in the region, officials said.

The police said Umar Jaleel, an activist with an international nongovernmental organization called Nonviolent Peaceforce, was abducted by armed men near Lamitan City, on Basilan Island.

Officials said it was too early to attribute the kidnapping to the Abu Sayyaf, the terrorist group that, on Jan. 15, abducted three Red Cross volunteers on the adjacent island of Sulu.

Nine armed men ransacked the house where Jaleel, 36, was staying around 3 a.m. Friday and shot at one of the victim's companions, who escaped unharmed, said Alexander Pama, commander of the Western Mindanao Naval Forces, whose men are involved in the operations to locate Jaleel.

In a statement, Nonviolent Peaceforce said "the motive for his abduction is not known, nor is the affiliation, if any, or identity of his captors." It added that "Nonviolent Peaceforce does not pay ransom and requests all parties concerned to seek a nonviolent return."

Nonviolent Peaceforce describes itself as a "nonpartisan unarmed peacekeeping force composed of trained civilians from around the world" who, through nonviolent means, work to protect human rights and promote peacekeeping in local communities.

Al-Rasheed Sakalahul, the vice governor of Basilan, said naval and army forces were working to recover Jaleel. Apart from the Sri Lankan, four Filipinos have been abducted on Basilan in the past month alone.

The Philippine military has, in recent days, stepped up operations to locate the kidnapped Red Cross volunteers - a Filipino, a Swiss and an Italian - and had killed some militants in the process. Military officials said this week that the victims were unharmed.

There were reports last week that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $5 million, but the Red Cross and the Philippine government have reiterated their respective no-ransom policies.

Jaleel's abduction has prompted several legislators to begin an inquiry into the series of kidnappings in the south. "We want to know why these kidnappings continue to happen despite efforts by the government to curb it," said Mujiv Hataman, a Muslim congressman from Basilan.

"We will summon local politicians and police officials to shed light on this," Hataman said, adding that many of the recent cases of kidnappings occurred in cities and town centers, not in the hills and mountains, indicating a boldness on the part of the kidnappers.

Military officials said this past week that the kidnappers of the Red Cross volunteers had links with Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terror network.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/13/asia/phils.php

Idiots: Pacifist peace activist kidnapped in southern Philippines

Idiots: Pacifist peace activist kidnapped in southern Philippines

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