Emergency declared in Philippine hostage crisis

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MANILA, Mar 31 (AP): The governor of a southern Philippine island declared a state of emergency authorising him to order an attack on al-Qaida-linked militants after a deadline expired Tuesday for the beheading of one of their three Red Cross hostages.
Gov Sakur Tan signed the emergency order Tuesday, empowering him to order the arrests of the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers and their civilian supporters in a hardening of the government's position after officials failed to negotiate the release of the Swiss, Italian and Filipino hostages.
Curfews and road checkpoints will be imposed in the predominantly Muslim Sulu province, which includes the main island of Jolo. The order defined the hostage-taking 10 weeks ago "as a heinous crime that deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
It was not immediately clear if an attack or a military rescue was imminent.