Blog 8: Kidnapping at a Resort in Malaysia

            Wednesday in Malaysia a Chinese tourist and a Filipino hotel worker were kidnapped from a beach resort. The victims are both women.  The abductors are what seem to be the insurgents near the Philippines that are fighting the Philippine government. This kidnapping is said to have risked the tie between China and Malaysia. As we all know Malaysia is struggling with the Flight 370 disaster, and this kidnapping is not helping their recovery. Witnesses say that they saw a group of gunmen storm the hotel and after they had kidnapped the women they quickly made a move to exit the resort. Kidnappings like this have become more frequent in the Sulu Archipelago.

            As I have discussed before on my blogs kidnapping is a tactic often used by people to gain money or they use kidnapping for a more meaningful purpose. Insurgent groups are well known for kidnapping for these reasons such as we have seen in the story above. This particular group near the southern Philippines use kidnapping for ransom to assist financing further operations. The leader of this recent kidnapping is assumed to be Murphy Ladja. Ladja also directed a kidnapping of foreigners at a resort in 2000. I definitely think this whole situation is a global problem. Southern Malaysia is not the only place that kidnappings happen. In this case, this kidnapping is considered an international kidnapping due to taking a tourist. I think kidnapping has become more common and as the world progresses kidnapping will progress as well.  It is important for people to be aware of their surroundings because of this pressing global world problem.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/world/asia/kidnapping-in-malaysian-borneo.html?_r=0