Swiss birdwatcher escapes captivity in Philippines

MANILA: A 49-year-old Swiss man held hostage for more than two years in the southern Philippines escaped after hacking one of his captors as they clashed with government troops Saturday, the military said.
Lorenzo Vinciguerra suffered a cut on his cheek after he grabbed a machete from one of the Islamist militants and they fought over it, said Colonel Allan Arrojado, a military task force commander.
“He managed to wrestle the machete, and he hacked his guard Juhuri Hussin on the neck,” Arrojado said.
“Apparently, Vinciguerra killed Hussin.”
Initial reports said Vinciguerra was shot by the bandits as he ran away while they fought troops in a village on Jolo Island, 1,000km south of Manila.
Arrojado said the Abu Sayyaf bandits shot at Vinciguerra, but did not hit him.
Vinciguerra was abducted with Dutch national Elwold Horn in the nearby province of Tawi-Tawi on a birdwatching trip in February 2012.
Vinciguerra told authorities that he yelled at Horn to run, but his companion was “very sick and very weak,” Arrojado said.
“He dashed while other bandits were shooting at him,” he added.
“He is hoping that Horn is still okay.”
Troops rescued Vinciguerra in the jungle during the clash that left five Abu Sayyaf rebels dead, said Captain Rowena Muyuela, a regional military spokeswoman.
He was brought to a military hospital in Jolo city and given medical treatment before he was to be flown to Manila.
In October, the Abu Sayyaf rebels freed two German hostages - a 72-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman - held captive for six months after a ransom of 250 million pesos (U$S5.6 million) was reportedly paid.
The rebels are still holding two Malaysians, one Japanese, four Chinese and five Filipinos in Jolo.
They have threatened to harm one of the Malaysian captives if ransom is not paid. - dpa