| Supplies to Abu captives dry up By
Faber Concepcion
ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Abu
Sayyaf hostages have not received supplies of food, medicine, clothes and toiletries from
families and governments for more than a month now, since increasing lawlessness in Jolo
and other areas prompted a retreat of media and foreign and local observer teams.
Representatives
of the terrorists’ foreign hostages, now on their 115th day of captivity, said
packages from the embassies have been piling up in this city.
Meanwhile, the
emissaries of government chief negotiator Robert Aventajado slammed representatives of
Malaysia for “delaying” negotiations for the release of its three remaining
nationals still held by the Abu Sayyaf.
They threatened to
abandon talks for the Malaysians and, instead, concentrate on freeing the Caucasian
hostages in Patikul, Sulu.
One of
Aventajado’s emissaries, who requested anonymity, said “all problems have
already been ironed out at our level.”
Commander Robot
has already agreed to free the Malaysians to Aventajado’s men.
“That
is why we cannot understand why there is an impasse on the part of the Malaysians,”
he added.
“The problem
actually lies between the Malaysian officials and the government negotiators who met last
Tuesday,” the source said.
“I don’t
know why, but there is a problem at the top level,” he said.
Aventajado held
closed-door talks Tuesday with the Malaysian deputy minister of education and a former
deputy of Sabah, but the two visitors left with no agreement reported.
A new Malaysian
emissary was expected yesterday, the source said without giving details.
A justice of the
Malaysian Supreme Court has also offered to help in securing the release of his
compatriots.
Volatile
Fear of violence
in Jolo and outlying areas has prevented the deliveries of supplies for the hostages.
“It’s
been more than a month already and the boxes are still here (in Zamboanga City) or in
Manila, because nobody wants to volunteer to deliver the packages,” a European
official said.
Even the medical
team that used to check on the conditions of the hostages has been told to stay out of the
area because of the volatile situation, military officials added.
With Abu Sayyaf
leaders engaged in a power struggle, and reports of quarrels between rebels and emissaries
over ransom cuts, tension has been rising in the municipalities of Talipao and
Patikul, where rebels hold separate groups of hostages.
The present
situation has prevented even some local officials from undertaking humanitarian missions.
“Nobody would
dare go to the Abu Sayyaf camp for fear that they might be suspected as spies working to
get a share of the ransom or on the payroll of other armed groups,” a military
official said.
Emissaries of
state negotiators do not move these days, unless they have proper authority from Ghalib
Andang, alias Commander Robot and his assigned liaison, only known as
“Scorpion.”
However, sources
close to government emissaries quoted them as saying the ban on civilian movement means
little, as most of the packages for the hostages end up with the rebels or with their
supporters.
Emissaries have
reported seeing the hostages’ personal belongings on residents of villages around
rebel camps.
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