A " Ransom " nightmare !

An Australian man faces a ransom demand from his captors that seems well beyond his capacity to pay.    Warren Rodwell ran a small village shop with his Philippina wife on the restive Philippines island of Mindanao.  On December 5, a Muslim separationist group kidnapped him at gun point and now demands almost two million Australian dollars ranson in exchange for his release.

All sides of Australian politics agree that under no circumstances should we agree to pay ransom demands.  It would be the first step on a very slippery slope, and criminal elements would immediately target Australians as a way to extort money.   We have had a practical example of how this works off the Horn of Africa, where piracy has increased dramatically since ship owners started paying ransoms to free their hijacked ships.

Two million dollars seems an impossible demand for a small shopkeeper.   How would the average Australian fare here in Australia trying to raise that sort of money if a relative was facing death overseas unless such a ransom was paid ?  

Basically, the kidnappers are Muslim terrorists and if this money is paid it will be used to finance death and destruction in their quest to force Sharia law onto all residents of the Philipinnes.   They are obviously a well organised group because they have provided a " proof of life " video, which shows a distressed Mr Rodwell pleading for the ransom to be paid to secure his release.

There are probably behind the scenes negotiations going on between the terrorists and people from government agencies from both countries, and it is possible that the terrorists may be convinced that their demands are hopelessly beyond the victim's ability to pay - and settle for a more modest amount.
Unfortunately, that is no guarantee of a successful release.   These terrorists have shown no compunction when it comes to killing - and once the money is paid they may or may not complete their part of the transaction.

Warren Rodwell's life hangs in the balance.    Becoming a ransom victim seems to be a possible fate that awaits any Australian living in a foreign country with an insurgency problem.   Even visiting such a place as a tourist raises the risk factor.    It is certainly something about which we should think - long and hard - before finalising any overseas holiday plans !