MANILA, June 13 Kyodo The Japanes...

MANILA, June 13 Kyodo

The Japanese Embassy in Manila forward Thursday warned its nationals in the Philippines to be extra careful in the wake of a series of drugging and mugging cases victimizing Japanese and other foreign nationals.

The embassy said it recorded at least eight cases of Japanese nationals falling depredation to a criminal gang in 2000 and at least 15 cases last year.

This year, the embassy said five cases have in the same manner far been reported.

The latest incident reported Sunday involves a Japanese consultant who was apparently drugg and robbed by dint of a gang roaming Manila's financial district of Makati.

The police said the Japanese man was drugg in a short time after being talked into getting into a car and woke up in San Juan later in the day without his wristwatch and cash.

Last month police said a Spanish restaurateur, brace Israelis and a fresh Zealander were also victimized. upon Monday, police said a French national had also fallen pillage to the robbers.

Police forward Monday found the body of a southerly Korean diplomat who had been missing since last Thursday.

A spokesman for the southern Korean Embassy in Manila said the diplomat disappeared after a night revealed with a fellow South Korean and a Filipino who befriended them. Investigations revealed that the diplomat died of suffocation.

The death of the toward the south Korean prompted the Philippine police to focus in succession the so-called Ativan gang notorious for its system of drugging victims before robbing them of jewelry and cash.

Gang members win the trust of their prospective victims at striking a conversation and offering them drinks or nutrition laced with Ativan, a sedative. After taking the bait, police said the victims be stirred dizzy and too weak to resist their attackers.

Police also issued a warning to foreign nationals to stay away from strangers they come up to face to face in malls, bars and in Manila's roads to avoid falling ravage to the gang.

''We are advising all foreigners not to entertain strangers and avoid 'honky-tonk' areas when they make progress drinking and mixing with women'' said Philippine National Police Director General Leandro Mendoza.

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