South Korean foreign ministry issues travel warning on Bohol

The South Korean foreign ministry has issued a special travel advisory for Bohol province, following the detected presence of Abu Sayyaf group members in the island last week.

The ministry said the advisory, which was issued on Monday, will remain in place until April 23.

"Judging that public insecurity could continue for some time on the Island of Bohol, the venue of the ASEAN summit from April 18 till 22, the Foreign Ministry has made the move to protect nationals of the Republic of Korea there," it said.

The South Korean foreign ministry said that a special travel advisory is "tantamount to the travel-alert level of 'red alert',” which means travel should be restricted.

It said it may extend the period of  effectivity of the travel advisory depending on the security situation in Bohol.

Police and military forces killed six suspected Abu Sayyaf members, including its sub-leader Muammar Askali, in a clash in Barangay Napo, Inabanga town.

The clash happened two days after the United States Embassy issued a travel advisory warning Americans against the threat of kidnapping in Central Visayas, including Cebu and Bohol provinces.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government had said that the scheduled events of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will push through, citing that the Abu Sayyaf threat in Bohol had been contained.

Security expert Rommel Banlaoi had said that one of the objectives of the Abu Sayyaf members in Bohol was to derail the ASEAN events in Panglao, Bohol, which the military denied.

The other objectives were to carry out kidnappings and attacks during the Holy Week, the security expert added.

Police and military operatives are still hunting down the local contact of the Abu Sayyaf in Bohol identified as Joselito Melloria.

Banlaoi said Melloria is not a regular Abu Sayyaf contact because he is actually the leader of the ISIS-linked Ansar Khalifa Philippines. —ALG, GMA News