A second Canadian was beheaded in the Philippines today after being abducted from a resort by Abu Sayyaf.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/06/13/robert-hall-killed_n_10435892.html
Surfcrest
A second Canadian was beheaded in the Philippines today after being abducted from a resort by Abu Sayyaf.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/06/13/robert-hall-killed_n_10435892.html
Surfcrest
Last edited by Surfcrest; June 14th, 2016 at 10:48.
Whilst of course it's terrible what happened etc I said basically the same thing to my PH BF ( who is from Davao where the guy was taken from) and he said it was a very strange and unlikely occurrence there and that the guy had been in a marina and the terrorists had travelled quite a distance by boat to snatch him ( at random) and then go back from whence they came. Not that that fact helped or saved the poor guy of course but my BF was at pains to point out that going to the (safer) areas of the PH's is fine and Davao in particular IS very safe for tourists. As to whether he's right or not could of course be an entirely different matter !
Maxxy (July 2nd, 2016)
I had never heard that yet Nirsh, so thanks for that. I'm just a little dismayed that a small gang of bandits, calling themselves terrorists were allowed to carry on / from where ever they are, after the first hostage was beheaded. Our own country might not make a big dent in whatever's going on now or next in the Middle East...but we certainly have enough Special Forces to go after these pricks or insist that the Philippines does. So now a second one is beheaded, both Canadians? The Philippines should be still stinging from the Manila Hostage Crisis of 2010 and so I'm surprised at how lethargic their response has been so far. I'm hopeful for some sort of response from Canada.
Surfcrest
I "think" - as my BF didn't really explain it very well / I wasn't really listening that it's a bit like the equivalent of the whole main / Southern Thailand issue in that "Thailand" in general is safe, but if you travelled to a very small section of Southern Thailand then perhaps it may not be just so much - and that area of the Philippines he was talking about it's all for exactly the same religious / political reasons too there it seems.
I said " but he still was taken from Davao so that can't be good" and my BF flicked up a map and showed me where and how the guys came from by boat ( think Turkey with say the bad part on one side and the good part on the other) with just a strip of water in between, however in the PH's case that strip was about 300 miles or more I think hence my BF saying this was a very strange and unusual case ( not that the helped the poor guy).
In case you're thinking of going to the PH's as I'm sure you know Manila can be dodgy enough just from a normal crime perspective but once you get out of there the normal tourist sites are generally quite / very safe and Davao itself IS very safe thanks to their no nonsense Mayors particualr method of crime suppression ie "Mister you fuck with me or my town I'll have you killed by the Police Motherfucker" - and this is the guy who has just made President there a few weeks ago !
My BF and I have already had words over that re their Country electing a guy who's general view and policies seems to revolve around "disagree with me and you die, I'll have you killed" or "the Pope, he is a son of a bitch" or after a girl was raped " that girl should have been sent to me first before she was raped so I could have first go as she was pretty and I am the President after all" - all genuine quotes of his ! And yet both my BF and his very religious family all think the guy is great and just what they need to turn the Philippines and their family fortunes around - I'm guessing he's their Donald Trump guy - GOD FORBID I tell them, but we'll / they'll find out soon enough I guess.
Last edited by Nirish guy; June 15th, 2016 at 15:16.
I like to visit countries where I feel safe walking down the street at any time of day or night.
Friends who visit Manilla have experienced consistent problems in some parts of Manilla in the day time.
Whilst I shall probably visit the country sometime, I'm in no hurry to do so.
Good luck with that, there's not to many places in the world left like that I fear :-(Originally Posted by goji
Japan is generally a safe place to visit but the tourist crowd is huge at the popular sites.
Since it is developed country, bring along lots of money.
Just be mindful of the presence of the yakuza - tattooed guys with missing digit on the little finger.
Guess i must just have been lucky! Having lived in Japan for 2 years and visited more than 80 times - most recently 4 weeks ago - I never once came across or even saw a member of the yakuza.
Yes, Japan is very safe and it is crowded. But there are tons of sites to see and if you don't try to go at popular or rush hours, you should be able to avoid crowds of tourists. Also, with the Yen having dropped in value against the US$, it is less expensive to visit. This is especially true of hotels.
You've got more chance of running into Elvis than a member of the yakuza. They tend to stick to themselves.
I feel safe enough in Europe, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos etc.
From what I read & hear from friends, places like Rio & Manilla require a lot more care from any visitors who want to avoid getting mugged.
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