It appears that the all-powerful “Filipino Trump” wasn’t able to prevent German sailor Jurgen Kantner from being murdered by Abu Sayyaf, according to The Straits Times. As we reported (and you started talking about) last week, Kantner’s wife was murdered and Kantner abducted by the militant Islamist group, and after ransom talks broke down, police reported today that the German joined her.
“Despite efforts exerted by groups and the security forces, I have received reports about the alleged beheading of a German kidnap victim in Sulu (on) Sunday afternoon,” said President Duterte’s so-called peace adviser and chief hostage negotiator; the same Duterte who has been funneling the vast majority of police forces to his campaign of extrajudicial killing of suspected drug offenders (with our own President’s alleged approval). While Duterte’s minions slaughter thousands of innocents in a drug war, Abu Sayyaf operates with impunity in large swaths of the Jolo and Basilian Islands of the Southwest Philippines, including in 2014 when they collected millions from another tourist ransom and the past year when they beheaded several abductees.
We get that Kantner’s choice of travel locations wasn’t great – he was also held for months after being abducted while cruising Somalia (wtf?) years back – but we’re still sorry for the loss of anyone who knew this interesting character…and stay the hell out of the Philippines until they solve the 40-year insurgency that caused this mess.
