RP confirms US$1m ransom demand for each hostages
RP confirms US$1m ransom demand for each hostages
JOLO, Philippines (AP): Muslim extremists holding 21 mostly foreign hostages in a jungle camp are demanding at least US$1 million for each captive, and negotiations for their release could last up to six months, President Joseph Estrada's chief aide said on Monday.
Government negotiators are also trying to resume food supplies and medical missions to the hostages, who are being held by Abu Sayyaf rebels in the mountains of remote Talipao on southern Jolo island, executive secretary Ronaldo Zamora said.
"That's what the Abu Sayyaf is demanding," Zamora said in a radio interview, referring to the ransom demand.
The government and rebels so far have focused on the guerrillas' political demands, including a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but will eventually have to haggle over a ransom, Zamora said.
Chief government negotiator Robert Aventajado has said he will stick to a Philippine government policy of not paying any ransom to kidnappers and will not allow any other parties to negotiate separately with the rebels.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, visiting Manila to express concern over the slow pace of negotiations for the release of the 21 hostages, including nine Malaysians, suggested last week that the Philippines should reverse its no-ransom policy.
The Abu Sayyaf is the smaller and more extreme of two rebel groups fighting for an independent Islamic state in the impoverished southern Philippines.
The rebels seized three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos on April 23 from the diving resort of Sipadan island, which is being disputed by Indonesia and Malaysia, and brought them to Jolo at the southern tip of the Philippines, about an hour's boat ride away.
Zamora said the governments of the hostages are prodding the Philippine government to work for the rapid release of the hostages. But he warned that negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas could drag on for up to six months.
Several of the hostages have fallen ill and all have suffered from depression during their jungle captivity.
Two weeks ago, the rebels separated the Caucasian hostages from the Asians because of fears of a possible military rescue attempt. Since then, food and medical deliveries to the hostages have been suspended.
A government emissary who spoke on condition of anonymity said the food and medical deliveries will not be resumed unless the rebels reveal the whereabouts of the Caucasians, who are believed to be held about a kilometer from their former camp, where the Asians remain.
Abu Sayyaf rebels said last week they would no longer talk with Aventajado after he said the government would not rule out a military rescue if talks with the rebels fail. The rebels later said Aventajado could continue as negotiator after he clarified that he was not endorsing a rescue of the hostages.
In several negotiating sessions, the rebels have refused to abandon their demand for an independent nation. The government, however, has repeatedly ruled out any breakup of the Philippines.
The rebels are also demanding the protection of traditional fishing grounds from large trawlers, many of which are foreign- owned, and the formation of a commission to examine the problems of Filipino Muslims living in neighboring Malaysia.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels are active in Jolo, part of Sulu province, and in the nearby province of Basilan. Decades of government neglect, lawlessness and the proliferation of guns have made Sulu, about 950 kilometers south of Manila, one of the country's most impoverished provinces.