Filipino mayor convinces Abu Sayyaf to stay
executions of hostages
JOLO, Philippines, Aug 6 (AFP)
- Muslim rebels on this southern island have delayed their threatened executions of three
kidnapped construction workers after negotiations with a local mayor, security officials
said here Saturday.
The Abu Sayyaf group agreed to
discuss the fates of the three workers after an appeal from Hashir Hayudini, the mayor of
Patikul town, where they were seized Tuesday, said the provincial police chief,
Superintendent Candido Casimiro.
Earlier intelligence reports
obtained by local police said the three had been executed after a Friday ransom deadline
expired.
The three workers, all
Christians, were made to dig their own graves Friday, and had been scheduled to be put to
death before Saturday if the ransom went unpaid.
However, intelligence sources
said Hayudini, who commands a large group of armed followers, threatened to attack the Abu
Sayyaf if the three were put to death.
The workers were kidnapped by
allies of the Abu Sayyaf while hauling sand and gravel for a local construction company.
Neither the relatives or the
managers of the construction firm could pay the 1.5 million peso (34,000 dollar) ransom
demanded for the three, the intelligence sources said.
Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized 21
western and Asian hostages from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan on April 23 and shipped
them to Jolo.
They later seized several other
foreign and local hostages, including journalists covering the crisis.
Although they have freed some
of their hostages, the gunmen still hold five French nationals, a Franco-Lebanese woman,
two Finns, two South Africans, two Germans, three Malaysians and two Filipinos aside from
the construction workers.
Chief government negotiator
Roberto Aventajado on Saturday arrived in Zamboanga city, north of Jolo, to meet Malaysian
officials to discuss demands for the release of the three remaining Malaysian captives.
He told AFP that Abu Sayyaf
leader Galib Andang told him in a telephone conversation just hours ago that "they
are ready to release everybody. So they are just waiting for our move."
"I said, 'I'm still
putting everything together. Once I've done that, we can expect releases quickly,'"
Aventajado said.
"Maybe we can reach an
agreement. Maybe in the next two weeks we can free all of them," he said.
The arrival of the Malaysian
officials was delayed for unspecified reasons and Aventajado said they would meet on
Sunday.
He said they would discuss
setting up "mango, orange and coffee plantations" in the Abu Sayyaf-occupied
town of Talipao as part of "livelihood projects" for members of the group in
exchange for the Malaysian captives.
Aventajado earlier said Andang
had asked for the establishment of an orange plantation, then switched to mangoes, in
exchange for the Malaysian hostages.
This could lead to a release of
the Malaysians by Tuesday, he said.
Aventajado added that European
governments and South Africa were also close to agreeing to a similar package for the Abu
Sayyaf for their hostaged nationals.
Police sources also said the
Malaysians, the two South Africans and two Filipinos seized from the resort could be freed
in a few days.
But sources close to the rebels
downplayed the demand for the livelihood projects, saying it was just a ruse to hide
eventual ransom payments.
Numerous sources have said
hefty ransom payments have been made for hostages freed earlier, but governments involved
have denied paying any money.
Meanwhile, intelligence sources
said two air force OV-10 planes flying to joint Philippine-Malaysian border exercises in
Sabah in Malaysia on Friday inadvertantly frightened some Abu Sayyaf members into fleeing
their hideout.
Some Abu Sayyaf recruits,
thinking it was the start of a government air strike, fled their hideout, taking refuge in
populated areas.
A radio station in Manila said
Andang threatened to end the negotiations and even behead a hostage if the flights
continued.
However, Aventajado downplayed
the threat, saying the planes only stopped at Jolo to refuel on their way to Malaysia.
The propeller-driven OV-10
gained a formidable reputation during bombings of the main headquarters of a larger Muslim
separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), last month.
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