* Gunmen raid popular tourist resort in southern Philippines
* Two Canadians, Norwegian and Filipino kidnapped
* Note found linking Maoist rebels were behind attack
* Two tourists escaped but were hurt
(Adds Foreign Ministry statement, Maoist rebels' link to
abduction, comment from TVI spokewoman)
By Manuel Mogato
MANILA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Two Canadian tourists, a
Norwegian resort manager and a Filipino woman have been
kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from a popular resort island in
the southern Philippines, the army said on Tuesday.
A Canadian mining firm who one of the tourists had worked
for said it was conducting an "intense manhunt" in cooperation
with the army.
Philippines army Captain Alberto Caber said the four were
taken at gunpoint during a raid late on Monday night on the
Oceanview resort on Samal island, near Davao City, the largest
city on Mindanao island in the restive southern Philippines.
Military and police officials were surprised by the latest
attack, a reminder that insecurity persists in the south despite
recent peace initiatives with Islamist rebels.
The Davao region has been relatively peaceful for more than
a decade. In 2014, a peace agreement with the largest Muslim
rebel group in the south ended 45 years of conflict in which
about 120,000 people were killed and 2 million displaced.
"Four people were taken but we do not know what group was
behind the attack," Caber told reporters. He said there were
about 30 foreign tourists at the resort at the time of the raid.
"It appeared the foreigners were the targets, they were not
taken at random," he said.
Caber said the abducted foreigners had been identified as
John Ridsdel and Robert Hall from Canada and Kjartan
Sekkingstad, the Norwegian manager of the resort. The Filipino
woman, identified only as Tess, was Hall's partner.
Nicolas Doire, a spokesman for Canada's foreign ministry in
Ottawa, said they were aware of the kidnapping but declined to
comment or release information that might compromise rescue
efforts or the safety of Canadian citizens.
Shirley Anthony, a spokeswoman for the Calgary-based mining
group TVI Pacific Inc TVI.TO , which has a stake in operations
in the Philippines, said the company had launched a search for
Ridsdel, a semi-retired consultant for TVI.
"PROFESSIONAL KIDNAPPERS"
"Right now we are actually in the midst of an intense rescue
effort for John, a total manhunt," Anthony said. "The military
is involved as well."
She said she did not believe there had yet been any contact
with the kidnappers, but that "the people who have abducted him
are professional kidnappers for ransom".
The Philippine Foreign Ministry issued a statement of
reassurance about the security of leaders, delegates and guests
at November's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit
meetings in Manila.
"The incident in Samal Island is being addressed by our
concerned authorities to resolve the issue and ensure that the
hosting of the AELM is not affected," said spokesman Charles
Jose.
Philippine military sources said the gunmen spoke English
and Tagalog, the language spoken widely in the Philippines.
"A Japanese couple was initially seized but they were able
to escape with some head injuries," Lieutenant-General Aurelio
Baladad, the army's regional commander, told reporters. "The
gunmen and their captives headed to the east in two boats."
Police said a private security guard had recovered a note
reading "Justice for our commander, by NPA" posted on the
resort's gate five hours after the abduction, the first sign
that Maoist guerrillas might be behind the attack.
However, security and local government officials doubted
whether the New People's Army rebels had the capability to carry
out the attack. "We are still validating that information," said
provincial police chief Samuel Gadingan.
Three navy ships were sent to search for the gunmen's boat,
while ground units were also alerted to locate possible landing
sites in southeastern Mindanao, an army commander said.
In 2001, Islamist militants from Abu Sayyaf, a group linked
to al Qaeda, failed to kidnap foreign tourists on Samal island's
Pearl Farm resort. Three security men died fighting off the
attack.