Foreign tourists have started leaving many upscale tourist spots in Palawan, 800 to 1,000 kilometres south of Manila. But many other visitors refused to leave the Dos Palmas Hotel where 17 tourists and 3 hotel staff were abducted on April 27 by the Abu Sayyaf.

A special guest assigned to the French mission in Manila, her husband and their two children were flown out by an aircraft. The hotel management did not disclose their identities, for security reasons.

The French embassy's military attache and three French soldiers accompanied the the French VIP. They were brought out of the island to an undisclosed place. This was learned after Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon brought several reporters to Dos Palmas to control the damage that was done by the kidnapping.

"We trust the local authorities here and we are just providing support for our nationals," French defence attache Philippe Groult said earlier. The kidnap victims included U.S. missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, another American Guillermo Sobero.

"We are happy that we were not taken with the group. I am thanking God for that," said Manuelita Mondia, one of the cooks of Dos Palmas who was released. Her two other companions, Peter Largo and Isagani Fortunato, said they would give thanks for having been spared by the Abu Sayyaf leaders. They promised to pray for three other companions.

Meanwhile, 39 of the 123 guests abandoned Dos Palmas less than 24 hours after the incident. Other visitors refused to budge or give importance to the incident, saying that the hostage takers would not strike twice in one place. Guns and men in uniform presented a picture of contrast as they were posted in the resort's cottages surrounded by coconut trees, white sand, manicured lawns, and flower-filled gardens.

Hotel manager Allan Fabian said: "Many of them had just woken up and did not know what happened." A World Bank delegation, due here on May 31, did not cancel their booking, said Fabian, but added, "We are now discouraging the entry of other visitors. We expect occupancy to go down after the raid."