DATELINE :- 23rd May 2000
PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES
Resort staff describe kidnappings
As the Philippines hostage crisis continues, Diver has heard how 21 hostages - diving tourists and resort staff - were taken from the tiny island of Sipadan, off Sabah in Borneo, in late April.
"It was 5.30pm and about to get dark, when six gunmen landed on the beach beside Borneo Divers' jetty bar, where the island has its only deep water," a source told Diver. "Those who were taken included quite a few people who had been sunbathing on the beach. At gunpoint they were made to swim directly to the kidnappers' boat.
"There were no members of the Malaysian armed forces on the island at the time, although some had been present earlier to enforce new rules on maximum number of visitors." The quota is now 14 divers for each of the four centres on the island.
Piracy is becoming a problem in the Philippines and has spread to the outlying islands of Malaysia, although the Sipadan attack is linked with the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group. Large ransom demands were made for the hostages from Sipadan and other kidnap sites.
Clement Lee of Borneo Divers told Diver soon after the kidnapping: "It had never occurred to us that such an incident would happen on such a peaceful island. Those who visit the island are here purely to admire the beauty of the underwater world.
"This incident was a shock to us and since the abductors have taken innocent divers as well as staff hostages, we can only assume that this kind of thing could happen anywhere in the world."
He described the island as "back to normal... When this happened there were quite a few diver-tourists on the island and they continued to dive as usual".
The Sabah Minister of Tourism has stated that "Sabah is a peaceful and safe holiday destination" and Britain's Foreign Office says: "The Malaysian authorities have increased security in the area and we are not advising against travel at present." But the Foreign Office does recommend tourists not to travel to certain other parts of the Phillipines and Malaysia, in the light of "sporadic fighting and piracy".
For information, go to website www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp