Australia worried about aid workers in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines – The Australian government is concerned over the safety of their aid workers in southern Philippines but has no plans of pulling out their projects in the region. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith described as "disturbing" that international aid workers are being targeted by lawless elements in Mindanao for their criminal activities. "We’re very concerned and it’s something that’s very disturbing that international aid workers will be targeted," Smith said during a reception for journalists hosted by the Australian Embassy Wednesday evening. Smith’s comment came in the heels of the abduction of three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) volunteers last week in Sulu province. Smith said Australia remainefd committed to providing development and livelihood assistance to Mindanao’s poor communities. "We’ll continue to contribute to the aid program in the Philippines," he said. At present, a number of Australians are working on several humanitarian and development projects in various areas in Mindanao, a region ravaged by decades of armed conflict between government troops and Moro rebels. Smith warned Australians in Mindanao to be on guard against kidnappers and terrorists. In its latest travel advice on the Philippines posted on the Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade website, Canberra urged Australians to exercise a “high degree of caution in the Philippines because of the high threat of terrorist attack." It also discouraged travel to Mindanao, including the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Sulu Archipelago, due to the “very high threat of terrorist attack, including kidnapping, and related counter-terrorism operations." - GMANews.TV