ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 09, 2008) – Police mounted a search Friday for a British national who was reported missing while visiting the southern port city of Zamboanga, reports said.
Local radio reports said James David Rowe was missing since Thursday after he failed to return to his hotel in downtown Zamboanga. Rowe checked in at the Amil Hotel and left with a Filipino man, the Radio Agong reported.
“The foreigner left with a Filipino man and never returned. We reported the matter to the police. We don’t know what happened to him. His things are all inside the room,” a woman at the hotel’s front desk told the Mindanao Examiner.
She said Rowe was alone when he checked in at the hotel, but refused to elaborate further, saying, she is not authorized to talk about it.
Mayor Celso Lobregat has ordered the police to search for the missing foreigner, his spokesperson, Sheila Covarrubias, said. “Police is doing all it can to locate the foreigner,” she said in a separate interview.
Initial police reports, she said, showed that Rowe is engage in buying and selling of automotive spare parts and authorities are investigating whether his business has anything to do with his disappearance.
“At this time, we still do not know what really happened. We can only speculate,” Covarrubias said.
The United States Embassy last month said it received information that extremists may be planning to kidnap Americans or other foreigners at hotels or other public places in Zamboanga City.
It warned Americans not to travel to Zamboanga which had been targeted in the past by Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network.
Australia also issued a similar warning last month and told its citizens not to travel to Zamboanga and other areas in the southern region. Two homemade bombs exploded in Zamboanga City a week after the US and Australian warnings. (Mindanao Examiner)
Local radio reports said James David Rowe was missing since Thursday after he failed to return to his hotel in downtown Zamboanga. Rowe checked in at the Amil Hotel and left with a Filipino man, the Radio Agong reported.
“The foreigner left with a Filipino man and never returned. We reported the matter to the police. We don’t know what happened to him. His things are all inside the room,” a woman at the hotel’s front desk told the Mindanao Examiner.
She said Rowe was alone when he checked in at the hotel, but refused to elaborate further, saying, she is not authorized to talk about it.
Mayor Celso Lobregat has ordered the police to search for the missing foreigner, his spokesperson, Sheila Covarrubias, said. “Police is doing all it can to locate the foreigner,” she said in a separate interview.
Initial police reports, she said, showed that Rowe is engage in buying and selling of automotive spare parts and authorities are investigating whether his business has anything to do with his disappearance.
“At this time, we still do not know what really happened. We can only speculate,” Covarrubias said.
The United States Embassy last month said it received information that extremists may be planning to kidnap Americans or other foreigners at hotels or other public places in Zamboanga City.
It warned Americans not to travel to Zamboanga which had been targeted in the past by Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network.
Australia also issued a similar warning last month and told its citizens not to travel to Zamboanga and other areas in the southern region. Two homemade bombs exploded in Zamboanga City a week after the US and Australian warnings. (Mindanao Examiner)
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