Hostage releases delayed by Philippine
kidnappers feud
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Sept 7
(AFP) - A feud among Muslim extremist kidnappers condemned six European hostages to
another day of captivity in the Philippine jungle, sources said Thursday.
The three Frenchmen, two Finns
and a German, who had been due to be freed from their four-month ordeal on Thursday, would
have to wait until Friday because of an internal rift among the Abu Sayyaf rebels, a
source close to the negotiators said.
But he would not reveal details
of the argument, saying it was a "sensitive matter" which if made public, could
derail Friday's planned releases.
It was also unsure whether all
six would be freed in one go on Friday, or whether the releases would be staggered.
The kidnappers Wednesday
abruptly announced the six would be freed on Friday, instead of on Thursday as government
negotiators had earlier anticipated.
Chief government spokesman
Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said in Manila the release was delayed because "all
arrangements have not been completed" without specifying.
But he added the government
"is very confident that the release will be completed tommorrow."
Four of the Europeans are among
the last of a group of 21 foreign and local hostages seized by the Abu Sayyaf from the
Malaysian island resort of Sipadan on April 23 and taken across the sea border to Jolo
island.
The other two are French TV
journalists seized in July while seeking to interview the hostages.
Meanwhile in Jolo, a
government-appointed negotiator, Munib Estino, working to free an American held by another
Abu Sayyaf faction said he had sent a camera, a tape recorder and paper to the kidnappers'
camp.
Estino said his emissaries went
to the hideout and will use the camera and tape recorder to prove Jeffrey Schilling, 24,
is really being held by the extremists.
Schilling can also use the
paper to write messages, Estino said.
Preliminary reports from his
emissaries suggested Schilling was fine but was heavily guarded because he was resisting
his captors, using martial arts moves, he added.
The American from Oakland,
California, was also requesting food such as instant noodles.
Previously, government
intelligence sources said Schilling was being kept handcuffed in the space under an
elevated house, penned in a wooden cage, after his abduction on August 28. However Estino
made no mention of this.
Abu Sabaya, the leader of the
Abu Sayyaf faction holding Schilling, has given orders that he should not be harmed
despite occasional violent outbursts, Estino said.
Estino also dismissed reports
that the Abu Sayyaf had rejected his mediation, adding he was waiting for a decision on a
venue and date for talks.
He added he was also working to
free Filipino, Roland Ullah, who was seized in the raid on Sipadan, who he hoped could be
released by Friday.
The Abu Sayyaf have released
most of their foreign hostages since April, amid reports that large ransom payments were
made, but are still holding 16 Filipinos.
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