RP military says U.S. hostage could be dead

RP military says U.S. hostage could be dead

LAMITAN, Philippines (Reuters): The Philippine military said
on Monday that it believed Muslim gunmen had killed a 40-year-old
American hostage after tying his hands behind his back and
leading him away from his fellow captives.

But while a military spokesman said he had strong reason to
believe that the self-styled Abu Sayyaf rebels had executed
Guillermo Sobero, a tourist from Corona, California, his body had
still not been found.

As he spoke, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made a flying
visit to Basilan, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold, and vowed there would
be no let-up in an assault on the gunmen, who still hold about
two dozen hostages on the southern island.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila said it had no independent
confirmation that Sobero was dead.

"We have no proof of Mr Sobero's fate. No remains have been
identified as his. No independent source witnessed his claimed
execution," the Embassy said in a statement. "That said, we
remain gravely concerned about Mr Sobero's fate in view of the
repeated claims by the Abu Sayyaf to have beheaded him."

Armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said the
military had studied statements given by freed Filipino hostage
Francis Ganzon. "We have strong reasons to believe the statements
of Mr Ganzon that Mr Sobero is dead," Adan said.

"He was killed sometime on the night of June 11 after his
hands were tied behind his back and he was separated from the
rest of the hostages... They never saw him again.

"We have no independent confirmation because his body has not
been found," the general told reporters in the capital Manila.

Adan said Sobero had been nursing a wound on his right foot
sustained during fighting earlier this month between soldiers and
the kidnappers on Basilan, 900 km south of Manila. The wound had
not healed despite medication because the American was apparently
a diabetic, he said.

The gunmen said on June 12 they had beheaded Sobero because of
military operations against them.

Ganzon, a lawyer, walked free on Saturday along with two other
Filipino hostages. Officials said Ganzon brought with him a
letter from the Abu Sayyaf expressing its readiness to negotiate.

Guerrilla spokesman Abu Sabaya, in a call to local radio RMN
on Monday, renewed rebel demands to negotiate with Malaysian
intermediaries but said Philippine Justice Secretary Hernando
Perez must also take part in the talks.

"Once Secretary Perez comes here we will release some
hostages," Sabaya said.

Sobero was among 20 people, including two other Americans and
17 Filipinos, seized from a tourist resort near Palawan island on
May 27 and taken to Basilan. The other Americans are missionary
couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, from Wichita, Kansas.

"The hostages are exhausted due to long mountain walks, most
of the time at night," Adan said.

Through jungles

"Mr Ganzon said that they kept going up, the vegetation is
very dense, sometimes they had to hold onto ropes and go down
very steep ravines. The terrain is muddy."

Arroyo visited Basilan aboard a military helicopter. "I am
under tremendous pressure to back down but I cannot do so at the
risk of the higher national interest," Arroyo said.

She told reporters that suspending military operations would
embolden the Abu Sayyaf. "Then they will strike again in some
unexpected place. We cannot allow this to happen and place our
people forever hostage to a band of extremists," she added.

Arroyo, who has adopted a no-ransom policy, denied knowledge
of reported large ransom payments by families of freed hostages.

"While we cannot totally control private transactions, we
discourage them and we will not support their efforts by
facilitating them," she said.

Eleven of the original hostages escaped or have been freed or
rescued. The bodies of two Filipino men have been found,
apparently executed by the gunmen.

The gunmen took fresh hostages on Basilan and now have an
estimated 25 captives, all Filipinos except for the Americans.

They profess to fight for Muslim self-rule in the mainly Roman
Catholic country but their main pursuit is kidnap for ransom.

Last year, it abducted scores of people, including Western
tourists from a resort in nearby Malaysia. Local officials say
the group secured about $20 million in ransom from that.