US, Britain warn citizens to stay off south Philippine area

[Corzhens]

Dateline MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. State Department warned Americans in an advisory Thursday to defer non-essential travel to the Sulu archipelago. The British government on Wednesday issued a similar travel warning. The United States and Britain have warned their citizens to stay off a southern Philippine region where suspected Muslim extremists are behind a wave of kidnappings.


Read more:US, Britain warn citizens to stay off south Philippine area | Inquirer Global Nation

 

[Diane Lane]

I just watched an episode of Locked Up Abroad set in Somalia. Usually the show features those who've typically broken the law in foreign countries and subsequently end up in prison for those offenses, but this one (and a few of the other episodes I've seen) concerned freelance reporters/photographers who were taken hostage in this way, but in Somalia. It appears this is one way the extremists raise funds. I wouldn't have any trouble obeying that warning, and would avoid the area like the plague.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Can't really argue with that, tourists often get abducted in those areas. I really hope people would have learned by now, there have been countless instances in the last decade where foreign tourists and travelers were kidnapped for ransom by those terrorists who make camp in those areas. It really gives a bad image to the Philippines, but since they aren't really doing anything about it, I guess it might be well deserved.

 

[pwarbi]

With everything that's going on in the world, it still makes me wonder why people would want to go to these hotspots in the world in the first place.

Even in Turkey people are still booking flights and holidays there, even after the terrorist attacks that happened there just recently. Its one thing not letting terrorists control your life, but you don't go looking for trouble either.