The Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility yesterday for an explosion on a ferry that sparked a fire and left 180 passengers missing, according to a radio report.
The Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), which has often been called by the Abu Sayyaf in the past, said group spokesman Abu Sulaiman claimed a bomb was planted in revenge for alleged incidents of violence in the southern Mindandao area and the rapes of some Muslim women by Philippine troops.
The Friday fire on the Superferry 14 occurred the same day that two alleged Abu Sayyaf members were convicted of kidnapping an American in 2000 and another was arraigned in a separate mass abduction.
PHOTO: AFP
The military downplayed the Abu Sayyaf claim, saying it may have been a bluff by the guerrillas to project strength amid battle setbacks that have considerably weakened the group.
"They just want to ride and hitch on the media mileage on this Superferry fire," said military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Lucero.
Officials have not speculated on the cause of the fire, but said they could not rule out terrorism even though police sniffer dogs checked the ferry before it left Manila. Witnesses said the blaze was triggered by an explosion at 12:50am Friday, two hours into the ferry's regular trip to the central and southern Philippines.
RMN program director Benji Alejandro said that Sulaiman called him using a satellite phone that the rebels had used in the past and claimed responsibility for the ferry blast. He reminded Alejandro that the Abu Sayyaf had warned as early as October that they would target inter-island vessels belonging to WG&A, which owned the burned Superferry 14.
Alejandro acknowledged he received that rebel warning, asking Muslims not to ride WG&A vessels, and notified a WG&A official.
"This is a revenge," Alejandro quoted Sulaiman as saying.
Asked why the guerrillas targeted a ship full of civilians, Sulaiman cited several alleged incidents of Filipino Muslims being hurt during military assaults, Alejandro said.
Armed with axes and spotlights, rescuers struggled against heat, sea water and debris yesterday to probe the still-smoldering ferry, half-submerged on its side in a cove.
Coast guard officials said 565 passengers and 153 crew members jumped into the sea or boarded lifeboats and were rescued as the fire raged through the 10,192-tonne steel-hulled ferry.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
CYBERSCAM: Anne, an interior decorator with mental health problems, spent a year and a half believing she was communicating with Brad Pitt and lost US$855,259 A French woman who revealed on TV how she had lost her life savings to scammers posing as Brad Pitt has faced a wave of online harassment and mockery, leading the interview to be withdrawn on Tuesday. The woman, named as Anne, told the Seven to Eight program on the TF1 channel how she had believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star, leading her to divorce her husband and transfer 830,000 euros (US$855,259). The scammers used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as artificial intelligence image-creating technology to send Anne selfies and other messages
RSS