II. Reading.

1. Read the article through and try to grasp the main idea without using a dictionary.

Reuters May 28, 2001

"So that is the question! "How can you stop it?" Philippine Kidnappers May Have Evaded Dragnet.

Puerto Princesa, Philippines (Reuters) -The Philippine military spread a dragnet across a wide swathe of the South China Sea on Monday for gunmen who abducted 20 people from a beach resort, but the kidnappers could have made it to a hideout, officials said.

Philippine patrol boats and reconnaissance aircraft were combing the area while the navy in nearby Malaysia was also on alert but there have been no confirmed sightings of the kidnappers or their victims -17 Filipinos and three Americans. The victims kidnapped around dawn on Sunday form the popular Dos Palmas island resort, 370 miles south of Manila, include 16 tourists and four staff members of the resort. The Americans have been identified as missionaries Martin and Gracie Burnham from Wichita, Kansas, and Guillermo Sobero.

There have been no claims but authorities suspect the kidnappers may be Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who gained notoriety last year for abducting some 40 people, including several Western tourists from a Malaysian resort, and receiving ransoms of up to $1 million for many of them, "There is growing evidence this is a splinter group of the Abu Sayyaf." said presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao.

Southern military command spokesman said a reconnaissance plane saw three suspicious craft near and island about 200 miles south of Dos Palmas at about 5 p.m. on Monday-around 12 hours after the kidnapping. One of the vessels, a boat, had about 25 people on it dressed in green. Another was a speedboat and the third was a fishing craft with a thatched roof. "The craft were sailing abreast and doing evasive maneuvers when they saw the plane," said the spokesman.

Slipping through the Dragnet.

But there have been no further sightings of the vessels and the military spokesman said troops and crack Ranger soldiers had been readied for an operation. The suspicion is that the kidnappers could have made it overnight to the islands some hundred miles east of the last sighting. These islands are hideouts of the Abu-Sayyaf and they have considerable support among the local population.

The Abu Sayyaf, with an estimated force of about 1,000 men, is one of two groups demanding a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines. But it does little to fight for its professed goals and appears to concentrate on kidnap for ransom.

Philippine officials usually call them a group of bandits but admit they are difficult to put down because of their intimate knowled­ge of the interior hills in the remote southern islands and renowned seamanship. The kidnapping has angered President Gloria M. Arroyo, who has been trying to woo foreign investors back in an effort to re­vive a sluggish economy dragged down by continuing concerns about po­litical stability in the country.

"Finish Them Off"

"The President's instruction is to go all out, finish once and for all," armed forces spokesman said on the local radio. He added that the safety of the hostages was paramount. He said Sunday's raid was "a well-planned operation.”

"They were well armed; they had a high powered, high capacity boat that can load enough hostages," he said. The massive manhunt launched for the kidnappers - involving naval gunboats, patrol craft, air force helicopters and reconnaissance planes and marines - showed Manila's concern over a possible repetition of last year's hostage crisis, which bedevilled the Philippines for months and damaged investor con­fidence.

In April last year the Abu Sayyaf seized 21 Western tourists. In the succeeding week, they abducted about 20 others, including journalists, setting off a prolonged crisis which lasted until April when soldiers rescued the last foreign hostage, an American. They said there would be no ransom paid to kidnappers, no negotiation.

2. General comprehension

On reading the article point out which statements are true or false:

1. The Philippine military have managed to capture the kidnappers of 20 tourists in their hideout.

2. Seventeen Filipinos and three Americans were kidnapped,

3. Several claims have been made by different guerrilla groups.

4. The Abu Sayyaf demanded separation of southern Philippines.

5. The government is very concerned about investor confidence and will pay no ransom.

3. Detailed comprehension.

Read the article a second time for details and answer the questions:

1. What vessels do the military use to spot and capture the kidnappers?

2. What are the kidnapped people?

3. What are Abu Sayyaf gunmen known for?

4. What makes it easier for the kidnappers to carry out such operations?

5. Why did the kidnapping anger the Philippine officials so much?

6. Is there any ground for the government to be concerned about the safety of the hostages?