Four Westerners abducted in S Philippines -army

MANILA, May 31 (Reuters) Four Westerners two men and two women and their driver were taken captive today by unidentified armed men in the southern Philippines, an army general said.

Major-General Raymundo Ferrer, commander in the autonomous Muslim region on the southern island of Mindanao, said he had received reports armed men stopped a van carrying the foreigners near Midsayap town around 9 am 0630 hrs IST today.

''They were tied up and forced onto motorcycles,'' Ferrer told Reuters. ''We've sent troops to investigate and track down the armed group.'' The victims' nationalities were not immediately available.

Sultan Sumalinog, the mayor of nearby Pikit town, said local police found the van in a wooded area. A woman's handbag was found inside, but no identification cards, only maps and cosmetics.

Police and military said they suspected former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were responsible for the abduction.

Several members of the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group, have broken away since it began peace talks with the government.

Reuters SM DB1214