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Abu Sayyaf claims it set off ferry fire

Philippine Coast Guard search-and-rescue teams yesterday prepare to search the burned out Superferry 14 for victims who may have been trapped inside when the vessel caught fire three days ago in Mariveles, north of Manila Bay. PHOTO: AFP

The Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility yesterday for an explosion on a ferry that sparked a fire and left 180 passengers missing, according to a radio report.

The Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), which has often been called by the Abu Sayyaf in the past, said group spokesman Abu Sulaiman claimed a bomb was planted in revenge for alleged incidents of violence in the southern Mindandao area and the rapes of some Muslim women by Philippine troops.

The Friday fire on the Superferry 14 occurred the same day that two alleged Abu Sayyaf members were convicted of kidnapping an American in 2000 and another was arraigned in a separate mass abduction.

The military downplayed the Abu Sayyaf claim, saying it may have been a bluff by the guerrillas to project strength amid battle setbacks that have considerably weakened the group.

"They just want to ride and hitch on the media mileage on this Superferry fire," said military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Lucero.

Officials have not speculated on the cause of the fire, but said they could not rule out terrorism even though police sniffer dogs checked the ferry before it left Manila. Witnesses said the blaze was triggered by an explosion at 12:50am Friday, two hours into the ferry's regular trip to the central and southern Philippines.

RMN program director Benji Alejandro said that Sulaiman called him using a satellite phone that the rebels had used in the past and claimed responsibility for the ferry blast. He reminded Alejandro that the Abu Sayyaf had warned as early as October that they would target inter-island vessels belonging to WG&A, which owned the burned Superferry 14.

Alejandro acknowledged he received that rebel warning, asking Muslims not to ride WG&A vessels, and notified a WG&A official.

"This is a revenge," Alejandro quoted Sulaiman as saying.

Asked why the guerrillas targeted a ship full of civilians, Sulaiman cited several alleged incidents of Filipino Muslims being hurt during military assaults, Alejandro said.

Armed with axes and spotlights, rescuers struggled against heat, sea water and debris yesterday to probe the still-smoldering ferry, half-submerged on its side in a cove.

Coast guard officials said 565 passengers and 153 crew members jumped into the sea or boarded lifeboats and were rescued as the fire raged through the 10,192-tonne steel-hulled ferry.
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