Jolo Island News

Islamist militants in the Philippines allied with Islamic State freed on Saturday a South Korean cargo ship captain and a Filipino member of his crew held captive for more than three months on a southern island, an army spokesman said. Park Chulhong, skipper of the South Korea-registered carrier DongBang Giant 2, and Filipino Glenn Alindajao, were brought to the house of the island's governor after they were released by the militants of the Abu Sayyaf group, Major Filemon Tan said. Members of a Muslim rebel faction cooperating with the government in the south of the predominantly Christian country had helped arrange the release, Tan told reporters.

The Philippines has been discussing coordinated naval patrols on its southern maritime borders with Indonesia and Malaysia to protect shipping after attacks and kidnappings by Islamist militants, its foreign minister said on Thursday. Indonesia is trying to free about 14 of its citizens seized from tugboats by Abu Sayyaf rebels from the southern Philippines and has called for joint patrols. Four Malaysians seamen are also being held. The Islamist rebels, who are raking in tens of millions of dollars in ransom, decapitated a Canadian on Monday and are still holding 23 hostages. Citizens of the Netherlands, Japan, Norway and the Philippines are among them.

A Philippine inter-island ferry slammed into a fish corral at sea early on Monday, disabling its propeller. All 137 people aboard were rescued, the coastguard said. It is the second sea mishap to occur in the Philippines in five days, after at least 138 people drowned and 70 rescued on Wednesday when an overloaded ferry capsized off Jolo island in the southern Philippines. In the latest incident, a sister ship tried to tow the 260-ton Viva Penafrancia to port in nearby Batangas city after its passengers and crew were transferred to a passing vessel, but the distressed ferry listed and sank with its cargo of motor vehicles.

At least 56 people, many of them children, drowned and scores are feared missing after an overcrowded boat capsized off Jolo island in the southern Philippines, officials said last Thursday. About 70 survived, many rescued by fishermen, while one man swam two miles to shore after the ML Annahada capsized on Wednesday night, the coastguard said. Twenty-seven children, aged from three months to nine years, were among the dead. The vessel, locally called a motor launch, was authorized to carry only cargo, and capsized after picking up passengers at sea, said coastguard operations officer Lieutenant Roy Echeverria. After it left Jolo, "several boats carrying people pursued it in the open sea and they boarded the launch, which was illegal and unauthorized," Echeverria said.

On June 17, seven armed men who abducted the master, chief officer, chief engineer and 2nd officer boarded the Singapore registered tugboat, SM 88. SM88, owned by Intone Pte Ltd was towing Labroy 179 between Jolo and Basilan Islands in the Philippines when a speedboat with 8 occupants armed with rifles approached the vessels. Prior to that, they fired a few warning shots in the air and demanded the tug to stop. Seven of the armed personnel boarded the tug and demanded that the Master, Chief Officer, Chief Engineer and 2nd Officer to board their speedboat. They then sped away with the 4 crew members towards Jolo Island. The kidnappers took from the tugboat a VHF radio, handheld walkie-talkies and a set of dividers. They also cut the cable of the VHF radio.