Fifteen Philippines fishermen shot dead

 The Philippines military says gunmen have killed fifteen fishermen in Basilan province in the south of the country.

The fishermen were in three small, wooden-hulled vessels off Sibago Island when they were attacked.

An army spokesman said the authorities had ruled out the potential involvement of radical Islamist militants or Muslim guerrillas who are fighting for self-rule and are also active in Basilan.

He said the fishermen were probably attacked when they strayed into the fishing grounds of a rival.

Sebanyak 15 nelayan Filipina ditembak mati

Militer Filipina mengatakan orang-orang bersenjata membunuh 15 nelayan di Provinsi Basilan, di bagian selatan.

Para nelayan berada di tiga perahu kayu kecil di lepas pantai Pulau Sibago ketika mereka diserang.

Seorang juru bicara angkatan darat mengatakan pihak berwenang mengesampingkan kemungkinan keterlibatan militan Islam radikal atau gerilyawan Muslim yang memperjuangkan kemerdekaan dan yang aktif beroperasi di Basilan.

Dia mengatakan para nelayan mungkin diserang ketika mereka tersesat di wilayah penangkapan saingan mereka.