Manila, Oct 21 (IANS): Armed men from the Abu Sayyaf militant group have hijacked a South Korean vessel off the island of Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines, a military spokesman said on Friday.
Army Major Filemon Tan said the vessel with its two crew members was hijacked on Thursday by 10 armed men aboard a speedboat off Bongao, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tan said Park Chul Hong, captain of the ship MV Dong Bang Giant, and Filipino crew member Glenn Alindajao were kidnapped by the attackers.
"Reports said the perpetrators are the followers of Abu Sayyaf group based in Sulu," he said.
All military units have been alerted to look for the missing crew members, Tan said.
"As of press time, validation and intelligence monitoring are currently being conducted by the military in coordination with local chief executives to track down the perpetrators and safely rescue the victims," Tan said.