Late night Monday 20 September 2015 four people were kidnapped on the resort Holiday Oceanview Resort in Southern Philippines by unidentified gunmen. The President of Philippines Benigno Aquino III issued a press release the day after where it is confirmed the marina manager of the resort, the Norwegian 56-year old Kjartan Sekkingstad, is among the abducted people. The press release tells a note was 500 meters from the marina resort. Between Monday night and early Tuesday morning a security guard found the note where the eleven armed kidnappers had escaped in two boats. It said “Free our commandant”. It is signed NPA which is short for the Filipino guerilla organization New Peoples Army which belongs to Communist Party of Philippines.
The press release also states the kidnappers showed up on the Samal Island at 23:24 o’clock on Monday civil dressed with backs and baldrics armed with two long and several short shooting firearms. Some of the eleven unidentified gunmen dashed into a yacht trying to abduct a married couple, but husband and wife met them with resistance and managed to escape. The couple was hurt and in a hurry brought to the nearest hospital where they were treated for injuries.
After their first failed operation the gunmen then kidnapped the Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, two Canadians and a Filipino woman and disappeared with their boats in a still unknown way.
The police on Samal Island has created a group only to investigate this kidnapning, the press release states. The name of the group is ”Special Investigation Group Oceanview”
Finally the military has announced no shoots were fired during the episode.
Sources: www.abcnyheter.no www.bbc.com
