| Sulu hostages favor military rescue JOLO, SULU (ABS-CBN) - In a
desperate call for help, the remaining nine Caucasian hostages being held by Abu Sayyaf
bandits in Jolo, Sulu have urged the government to launch a military rescue for them.
"How long is this game gonna go on, we earnestly once
again appeal to the outside world, step in and put their arms together to use the force
that they have to get us out of here," Finnish national Seppo Fraenti urged the
Philippine government.
"I appeal to our country, to our countries to send the UN
forces between those under military of the Philippines," said Risto Vahnen, also a
Finnish national.
The government earlier said it has reached a breakthrough in
negotiations with the kidnappers and confirmed that it was able to convince Abu Sayyaf
leader Galib Andang alias Commander Robot to collectively release the hostages over the
weekend.
However, the Abu Sayyaf decided to stall the release of the
hostages, claiming that the military has been preparing to wage an offensive against them
once all the hostages are released.
But a source close to the negotiations revealed that a
disagreement between government negotiators and the Abu Sayyaf over the amount of ransom
for the hostages caused the delay in the release.
"We are already angry because you don't have to do that
to our friends and relatives. They put all that pressure, make them believe that we are
out and we are still here one week later, this is a shame. There is something going wrong
here in this country. Don't believe anybody. They are all liars," an angry
French-Lebanese hostage Marie
Moarbes lamented.
"We don't understand why we are still here," a
confused South African national Carl Strydom said.
Families plead
The families of two French hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf on
Thursday called for immediate steps to ensure their captive relatives' freedom.
In a statement sent to Agence France Press, the families of
Stephane Loisy and his girlfriend Sonia Wendling appealed to "the people involved in
their liberation to do everything possible to enable them to recover their freedom without
delay."
The families and a support
committee from Albigny sur Saone, where Loisy's parents live, said: "After the
release of images of our children and the other hostages, we are struck by their worsened
and alarming physical condition and by their moral distress after so many trying
experiences."
As the hostages approached their fifth month of detention,
"their appeal for help to the whole world must be heard," said a statement,
which Wendling's father Jean said would be put on the internet .
The Abu Sayyaf was expected to free their hostages last
Saturday but they demanded a renegotiation of an agreement reached through Libyan
mediation.
They continued to hold 16 Filipinos including 12 preachers,
five French nationals, two Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, and a Franco-Lebanese.
It was revealed on Thursday that President Joseph Estrada had
received a joint communique from French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder, and Finnish President Tarja Halonen earlier this week.
"The safe and early release of the hostages is the first
priority", and that their safety must not be "undermined by any use of
force" or statement which the kidnappers could use as a pretext to scuttle talks, the
communique read.
Nine of the westerners were seized from a Malaysian resort
last Easter Sunday and are now in their 125th day of captivity.
The gunmen have freed a German, a Filipino, and nine Malaysian
hostages but have since detained three French journalists and a dozen Filipino Christian
preachers along with a number of Jolo residents.
Release
Meanwhile, the Abu Sayyaf has threatened to cease negotiations
for the release of the remaining hostages unless the Philippine police return money
confiscated from two of their members on Thursday.
The two were caught trying to change $240,000 into Philipine
pesos at the Zamboanga City branch of the Land Bank of the Philippines.
A source close to the negotiations revealed to ABS-CBN News
Online that Abu Sayyaf commander Galib Andang alias Commander Robot called up chief
government negotiator Robert Aventajado early morning Thursday and demanded the release of
the two arrested Abu Sayyaf members and that the money confiscated from them be returned.
The suspects, identified as Jeffrey Jinnul, a former security
guard, and Adjik Halik, a former soldier, were arrested by members of the Presidential
Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF).
The dollars they tried to exchange are suspected to be part of
ransoms paid for the release of Abu Sayyaf hostages since June.
The two admitted to running an errand for Abu Sayyaf leaders
Galib Andang and Mujib Susukan, said local police commander Senior Superintendent Angelito
Casimiro.
Military officials earlier revealed the crisis has made the
Abu Sayyaf about $245 million richer.
The Philippine government hopes to present a Libyan-backed
proposal to the Abu Sayyaf in the coming days which would secure the release of the Abu
Sayyaf hostages.
Both Manila and Tripoli have rejected reports that their
proposal would involve up to $12 million in ransom.
Meanwhile, a suspected Abu Sayyaf member was arrested during a
clash with government forces in nearby Basilan also on Thursday.
(With reports from Agence France Press)
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