Freed priest says he was treated well

Freed priest says he was treated well

ILIGAN, Philippines (AFP): A Belgian priest who was kidnapped
by former guerrillas said yesterday he was well treated and
voiced hope the government would give more "justice" to
abductors.

Roman Catholic priest, Bernard Maes, who was freed late
Wednesday, was quoted by local officials as saying: "I was
handled very courteously. I was given a jacket and a mosquito net
and I was treated (like) a human being" by the gunmen who
kidnapped him Tuesday.

The local officials also revealed the kidnappers had set
another condition for Maes' release -- that relatives, summoned
earlier by authorities regarding the kidnapping, would be allowed
to go free.

Maes was released after local police summoned an undetermined
number of the abductors' relatives -- an apparent implied threat
against the families.