Tourists kidnapped in the Philippines

On a small island just off the southern coast of Mindanao, the southernmost state in the Philippine archipelago, gunmen kidnapped two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian resort manager and a Filipino woman from the Holiday Oceanview resort in the city of Samal on Sept. 22. The kidnappers and victims left the island by boat. As of press time, no demands had been made.

Kidnappings for ransom by Muslim militant groups are not uncommon in the southern islands of the Philippines, though the number of incidents has been reduced in recent years as the government has attempted to make peace with the various groups.