MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine coast guard says gunmen attacked a Vietnamese ship off the Philippines' southern tip, killing a Vietnamese crewman and abducting six others.

Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said Monday the Vietnamese coast guard reported that the MV Giang Hai, with 17 crewmen, was attacked by pirates Sunday night about 20 miles (31 kilometers) north of Pearl Bank in southernmost Tawi-Tawi province.

Rescuers from the coast guard and marines found the ship had drifted near the province's Baguan Island, with 10 Vietnamese crewmen alive and one dead. The cargo vessel's owner said the ship's captain was among those abducted.

Balilo said pursuit operations are underway, but the abducted crewmen's location and the attackers' identity remain unknown.

Abu Sayyaf militants are suspected of being behind previous sea assaults in the area. </s> MANILA (Reuters) - Gunmen in southern Philippine waters killed one crewman of a Vietnamese vessel and abducted seven in what appeared to be the latest attack by pirates in the area, the Philippine coastguard said on Monday.

Coastguard and marine soldiers rescued 17 Vietnamese who were part of the 25-man crew of MV Giang Hai, which was attacked on Sunday evening near Baguan Island in Tawi-Tawi, an area close to the stronghold of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group.

An investigation was underway and the coastguard had launched a pursuit in coordination with the military and police, said coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo.

Well armed and equipped with fast boats and high-tech navigation devices, the Abu Sayyaf is a stubborn problem for the Philippine military, which has failed to curtail piracy and kidnappings in the area, despite major troop deployments in the in the Sulu Archipelago.

The Islamic State-linked group has been involved in frequent acts of piracy and has beheaded captives when ransom demands have not been met.

Before the latest attack, the militants were holding 27 hostages, according to a tally of reports about kidnappings and a few releases.

The captives are Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese seamen, as well as Filipinos, a Dutchman, a German and a Japanese national.

A surge in piracy off parts of the Philippines is forcing ship-owners to divert vessels through other waters, pushing up costs and shipping times.

President Rodrigo Duterte said last month he had asked China for help in the fight against the militants by sending ships to patrol the dangerous waters. </s> MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Gunmen attacked a Vietnamese cargo ship off the Philippines' southern tip, killing a Vietnamese crewman and abducting six others including the vessel's captain, the Philippine coast guard and the ship's owner said Monday.



Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the Vietnamese coast guard reported that the MV Giang Hai, with 17 crewmen on board, was attacked by pirates Sunday night about 20 miles (31 kilometers) north of Pearl Bank in Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines' southernmost province.



Personnel of the Philippine coast guard, police and marines found the ship had drifted near the province's Baguan Island. Upon boarding the vessel, they found 10 Vietnamese sailors alive and one dead.



Pham Van Hien, head of the safety department of Pham Hai shipping company, the owner of the cargo ship based in Vietnam's northern port city of Hai Phong, said the captain was among those abducted. The attack occurred while the vessel was transporting 4,500 tons of cement from Indonesia to the Philippines, he said.



The gunmen destroyed some of the ship's equipment, but the 10 remaining crew members managed to sail the ship, Hien said.



He said the company had informed the IMB Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia to seek its help in securing the return of the kidnapped crew members.



Balilo said pursuit operations are underway, but the location of the abducted crewmen and the identity of the attackers remain unknown.



Abu Sayyaf militants and allied gunmen are suspected of being behind previous sea assaults in the area, including an attack last November on another Vietnamese cargo ship whose captain and five crewmen were also kidnapped. They are believed to be held by the militants in the southern province of Sulu, where the kidnappers are holding at least 20 foreign and local hostages in different jungle locations.



An Abu Sayyaf commander known as Albhasy Misaya has been suspected of leading the kidnapping of the Vietnamese crewmen last year, but the military has not monitored any sign so far indicating the Vietnamese abducted late Sunday were also targeted by the Sulu-based militants.



Ransom kidnappings of Malaysian, Indonesian and Vietnamese crewmen have continued despite heightened coastal and border security.



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Associated Press writer Tran Van Minh in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report. </s> – The coastguard of the Philippines on February 20 reported that pirates in southern Philippine waters killed one crewman of a Vietnamese vessel and abducted seven on the evening of February 19, according to foreign media.The sailors were aboard ship MV Giang Hai with 25 crewmembers, which was attacked near Baguan Island in Tawi-Tawi, an area close to the stronghold of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group.According to Reuters, other 17 Vietnamese sailors on board were rescued by the Philippine coastguard and marine soldiers.An investigation was underway and the coastguard had launched a pursuit in coordination with the military and police, said Philippine coastguard spokesman Armand Balilo.Abu Sayyaf group, which has a close link with the Islamic State, is believed to be the culprit of the attack. Well armed and equipped with fast boats and high-technavigation devices, the group has conducted frequent piracy attacks and kidnapping for ransoms.-VNA </s> MANILA, Philippines - Gunmen attacked a Vietnamese cargo ship off the Philippines' southern tip, killing a Vietnamese crewman and abducting six others including the vessel's captain, the Philippine coast guard and the ship's owner said Monday. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the Vietnamese coast guard reported that the MV Giang Hai, with 17 crewmen on board, was attacked by pirates Sunday night about 20 miles north of Pearl Bank in Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines' southernmost province.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Washington Post. </s> In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, members of the Philippine Coast Guard, left, approach the almost sunken fishing boat of Filipino fishermen who were killed by suspected pirates in waters near Zamboanga City, southern Philippines Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Several Filipino fishermen were killed after a group of suspected pirates boarded a fishing boat in southern Philippine waters and strafed the crew, officials said Tuesday. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP) In this photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, members of the Philippine Coast Guard, left, approach the almost sunken fishing boat of Filipino fishermen who were killed by suspected pirates in waters near Zamboanga City, southern Philippines Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Several Filipino fishermen were killed after a group of suspected pirates boarded a fishing boat in southern Philippine waters and strafed the crew, officials said Tuesday. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

Gunmen in southern Philippine waters killed one crewman of a Vietnamese vessel and abducted seven in what appeared to be the latest attack by pirates in the area, the Philippine coastguard said on Monday. Coastguard and marine soldiers rescued 17 Vietnamese who were part of the 25-man crew of MV Giang Hai, which was attacked on Sunday evening near Baguan Island in Tawi-Tawi, an area close to the stronghold of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group.

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An investigation was underway and the coastguard had launched a pursuit in coordination with the military and police, said coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo. Well armed and equipped with fast boats and high-tech navigation devices, the Abu Sayyaf is a stubborn problem for the Philippine military, which has failed to curtail piracy and kidnappings in the area, despite major troop deployments in the in the Sulu Archipelago.

The Islamic State-linked group has been involved in frequent acts of piracy and has beheaded captives when ransom demands have not been met. Before the latest attack, the militants were holding 27 hostages, according to a tally of reports about kidnappings and a few releases.

The captives are Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese seamen, as well as Filipinos, a Dutchman, a German and a Japanese national. A surge in piracy off parts of the Philippines is forcing ship-owners to divert vessels through other waters, pushing up costs and shipping times. President Rodrigo Duterte said last month he had asked China for help in the fight against the militants by sending ships to patrol the dangerous waters. </s> One crewman of a Vietnamese ship was killed and seven others were abducted by unidentified gunmen in southern Philippines in Mindanao on Sunday (19 February), the Filipino Coast Guard said.

The vessel had a total of 25 crewmen of whom the Coast Guard and marine soldiers managed to rescue 17. Authorities are investigating the incident and have not commented on speculation about Abu Sayyaf's involvement in the abduction.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said on Monday (20 February) that the attack on MV Giang Hai took place at 7.10pm local time (11.10am GMT) off Sulu's Pearl Bank. He added that they received the information from the Vietnamese Coast Guard, following which they sent speed boats to the location and recovered the ship from the remote Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi province which is close to the Abu Sayyaf stronghold.

"The team [coast guards and marine soldiers] conducted a joint maritime patrol in the vicinity of waters off Baguan Island and subsequently rescued 17 Vietnamese on board, with one dead. Seven other crew were abducted by the unidentified armed men and taken to an undetermined location," Balilo said.

The Coast Guard spokesman added that police and the military were in pursuit of the abductors and an investigation was also ongoing, Rappler reported.

Islamic State (Isis)-linked militant group Abu Sayyaf is very active in the waters around Sulu province and Mindanao. They are known for kidnappings for ransom and are said to already have more than two dozen people of different nationalities in their custody.

Recently, the group threatened to behead a German hostage, Jurgen Kantner, whom they had abducted off Sulu in November 2016. His wife, Sabine Merz, was killed by the militants for opposing the kidnapping. Earlier in 2016, the Islamist group beheaded two Canadian nationals when the deadline for payment of ransom expired. They have set 26 February as the deadline for payment of ransom for Kantner's release. </s> ZAMBOANGA CITY: Suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels hijacked a Vietnamese cargo ship and abducted six crew, including its captain, in a daring attack that left one sailor wounded near Basilan province on Friday.

The ship, MV Royal 16, was sailing off the province when 10 gunmen on a speedboat intercepted the vessel and abducted the crew off Sibago Island.

It was sailing less than 20 kilometers from Basilan island, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists, when it was attacked.

A local cargo ship, MV Lorcon Iloilo, passing near Basilan rescued a wounded sailor who apparently had managed to escape and gave him first aid.

Identities of the hostages were not immediately known although reports claimed that they are Vietnamese sailors.

It was not also revealed what kind of cargo the ship was carrying when it was intercepted.

Gov. Mujiv Hataman of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said they are waiting for details surrounding the attack.

The latest attack came hours after President Rodrigo Duterte arrived home from his visit to Malaysia where he met with Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Razak said the Philippines has allowed Malaysia to enter the country’s southern border in hot pursuit of Abu Sayyaf bandits and kidnap groups in the wake of a slew of ransom kidnappings in Sabah near the province of Tawi-Tawi.

The Philippine government also allowed Indonesia to do the same over a spate of Abu Sayyaf attacks on its tugboats in Sabah, Malaysia, and Tawi-Tawi province in Mindanao.

It has joint border patrol agreements with both Malaysia and Indonesia.

The recent abduction brings to at least eight the number of people snatched from sea vessels in the region over the past week, including an elderly German sailor, raising fears that authorities are unable to control the worsening piracy problem.

The Philippine Army’s regional spokesman, Filemon Tan, said sea and naval assets had been deployed to search and rescue the six foreign sailors.

In recent months, the Abu Sayyaf had been accused of kidnapping dozens of Indonesian and Malaysian sailors in waters off Mindanao.

An Abu Sayyaf commander over the weekend claimed responsibility for seizing a German sailor, 70, and killing his wife.

In what maritime experts described as a landmark incident, the captain of a South Korean cargo ship and a Filipino crew were abducted off their vessel, the first such attack on a large merchant vessel.

Abu Sayyaf bandits this year beheaded two Canadian hostages after demands for millions of dollars were not met.

Most of the Indonesian and Malaysian sailors were released after ransoms were reportedly paid.

This prompted Duterte to launch a military offensive to “destroy” the Abu Sayyaf.

Two more Indonesian sailors were abducted on November 5, however.

The Abu Sayyaf belongs to a loose network of terrorists formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

It is not the only threat with those near-lawless islands home to other armed groups and people whose families have been involved in piracy for generations, according to security analysts. </s> Pirates in southern Philippines waters killed one crew member and abducted seven more when they attacked the Vietnamese-flagged MV Giang Hai near Baguan Island in the Sulu Sea.

Seventeen of the 25-person crew were rescued by the Philippines Coast Guard, which then pursued the attackers, Reuters reports. Those abducted were Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Dutch, German and Japanese nationals.

Baguan Island is in the island province of Tawi-Tawi, near the stronghold of the small but violent Abu Sayyaf militant group, which is known for piracy and kidnapping, as well as murdering its captives if ransom demands are not met. Abu Sayyaf is thought to have been holding 27 hostages before the most recent attack.
Gunmen attack a Vietnamese vessel near Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, killing at least one sailor and abducting seven others, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. Abu Sayyaf militants are suspected of being behind the attack.