Philippine militants demand $21 mln ransom each of four hostages

By Manuel Mogato
MANILA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - A small but violent al
Qaeda-linked Islamist group in the Philippines has demanded a
billion pesos ($21 million) each for three men and a woman
captured at a beach resort in September, one of the victims said
in a video.
The men, two Canadians and a Norwegian, and the Filipino
woman were shown in a video clip posted on Twitter (N:TWTR) crouching on
the ground with masked men wielding machetes standing over them
and threatening to kill them.
"I appeal to the Canadian prime minister and the people of
Canada, please pay this ransom as soon as possible or our lives
are in great danger," said a bearded man who identified himself
as John Ridsdel, who is a mining consultant from Canada.
"I'm also being held hostage by the Abu Sayaaf group. We're
being ransomed each for one billion pesos."
The Philippine government has a "no ransom" policy and will
not negotiate with the militants, said police spokesman Chief
Superintendent Wilben Mayor.
The army declined to comment but one military official said
the ransom demand was "incredible".
The hostages are believed to be held in the jungle on the
southern island of Jolo, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, known
for bomb attacks, beheadings and kidnappings.
The one minute, 27 second video clip was posted on Twitter
by the Site Intelligence Group, which tracks militant groups.
Last month, the militants released a longer video that
showed the captives for the first time since they were taken,
appealing to the Philippine and Canadian governments to heed
rebel demands and halt an army offensive on Jolo.
Ridsdel also spoke in the first video as did the two other
men, who identified themselves as Robert Hall and Kjartan
Sekkingstad. The woman did not speak.
The army identified the four in September as having been
taken hostage.
The raid on the resort was a reminder of insecurity in the
south despite a 2014 peace agreement with the largest Muslim
rebel group that ended 45 years of conflict.
The Abu Sayyaf militants are holding other foreigners
including one from the Netherlands, one from Japan, two from
Malaysia and an Italian missionary.
Last week, a 70 year-old Korean man died in captivity and
his body was placed in a sack and abandoned on Jolo.
In 2014, the Abu Sayyaf freed a German couple after months
of captivity after reports of a 270 million peso ($5.78 million)
ransom. Philippine and German authorities denied any ransom was
paid.