| 24 April 2000, 14:30 pm - Bernama |
ARMED PIRATES TAKE HOSTAGES ON SIPADAN ISLAND TAWAU, April 24 (Bernama) -- Armed pirates took about 20 people, including foreign tourists, hostage on Sipadan island off the Sabah coast last night, according to police here Monday. Confirming this in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said a special team had been set by the police to rescue the hostages who were taken in boats by the pirates. He said Malaysian police were in contact with their counterparts in Southern Philippines in efforts to track down the pirates. Sipadan island is a popular resort especially among scuba-divers. News of the attack reached Tawau on Sabah's east coast at about 8pm last night, about an hour after the pirates struck on the island. According to police, most of the hostages were foreign tourists while the rest were local workers on the island. A Japanese Consulate official in Kota Kinabalu said he was told by police that the tourists included Americans,French,Germans and South Africans and that no Japanese tourists were involved. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Jamil Johari, when contacted in Kuala Lumpur, said Inspector-General Tan Sri Norian Mai would hold a press conference at 4 pm today on the hostage incident. U.S. embassy press officer James Warren said in Kuala Lumpur the embassy knew about the incident from sources this morning. " We are still verifying the facts and are working closely with the police in Sabah," he added. Reuters meanwhile, quoted a diplomat as saying that two American tourists among the hostages escaped by jumping overboard and might be safe. According to The Star newspaper online edition, the pirates were armed with rocket launchers and M16 rifles and besides tourists, the hostages included hotel staff and wildlife rangers. The international waters bordering Sabah, Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesia are pirate-infested with several incidents reported in the last few years. |
| 24 April 2000, 18:57 pm - Bernama |
SECURITY FORCES IN HOT PURSUIT OF PIRATES KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysian security forces are in hot pursuit of a band of pirates who have taken 20 people hostage, including foreign tourists, on Sipadan island off the Sabah coast Sunday night. Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said upon being informed of the incident at 8.30 am Monday, he ordered for a swift response by the Malaysian security forces. "They'll have to act fast," he told reporters who approached him on the incident after closing the Malaysian Trust Fund week at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here. Sipadan island is a popular resort especially among scuba-divers. As of 8.30 am Monday, Abdullah said he was not informed yet of the pirates' demands in return for the release of the hostages. According to information conveyed to him, Abdullah said six of the pirates are Filipinos. Abdullah said the authorities were determined to secure the release of the foreign tourists and local residents held hostage. "Freeing them is uppermost. I think the Philippine government can help in this matter," he said. Abdullah had ordered a special team comprising the police, the defence and foreign ministries, be set up to manage the crisis. The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai had been instructed to convene an urgent meeting with these agencies to mount an integrated operation to free the hostages, he said. Abdullah said he had proposed that the police work together with the Defence Ministry in handling the crisis. Abdullah said he had issued orders that the Philippine government be kept informed of the situation with the view to getting Manila's assistance. "I was informed that the Sabah police chief had contacted the police authorities in southern Philippines," he said. While describing the incident as unexpected, Abdullah said it should also prompt the police to review the security of territorial waters off Sabah. News of the attack reached Tawau on Sabah's east coast at about 8pm Sunday night, about an hour after the pirates struck on Sipadan. According to The Star newspaper online edition, the pirates were armed with rocket launchers and M16 rifles and besides tourists, the hostages included hotel staff and wildlife rangers. |
| 24 April 2000, 18:47 pm - Bernama |
ALL HOSTAGES SAFE, SAYS SYED HAMID KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- All the 20 people taken hostage by armed pirates on Sipadan island off the Sabah coast last night are safe, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar Monday. He said this was the information given to Wisma Putra but did not elaborate. Speaking at a news conference at his ministry here Monday, Syed Hamid said the hostages include two French nationals, three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns and one Lebanese, all tourists. The others are eight Malaysians, who according to Syed Hamid, "happened to be there" and two Filipino workers. He said Wisma Putra had informed two foreign missions here whose nationals are involved. The other missions could not be contacted but they would be informed later, Syed Hamid said. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said a special team had been set by the police to rescue the hostages who were taken in boats by the pirates. Syed Hamid said the names of the hostages would be released by the Malaysian police. "They are getting help from neighbouring countries to trace the hostages," he said. A Reuters report said Monday the gunmen were headed for Philippine waters. Asked if the government has any information on the armed group, Syed Hamid said: "Let us complete on the intention of trying to get the safe release (of the hostages). "I think the authorities are taking the necessary steps to get them released from their captors." The minister could not say if the pirates have made any demands. Syed Hamid said the hostage incident was an "isolated" case and it was safe for people to visit Sipadan island. Sipadan island is a popular resort especially among scuba-divers. News of the attack reached Tawau on Sabah's east coast at about 8pm Sunday night, about an hour after the pirates struck on the island. The international waters bordering Sabah, Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesia are pirate-infested with several incidents reported in the last few years. Meanwhile, the Philippines embassy here said it was preparing details of the hostage incident upon being informed of it by Malaysian authorities. The information would be rushed to the Department of the Foreign Affairs in Manila for further action, in accordance with normal diplomatic procedure, said the embassy, adding that it also received queries from the Philippine media about the incident. |
24 April 2000, 19:06 pm - Bernama
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KOTA KINABALU, April 24 (Bernama) -- Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Mazlan Tyan was not among those taken hostage by armed pirates on Sipadan island last night, contrary to what was reported by international news organisations. Bernama contacted his office at the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan here at 5pm today and was told that he had just left. Attempts to speak to Mazlan earlier were unsuccessful because he was said to be at a meeting. A CNN report quoted Philippine Defence Secretary Orlando Mercado as saying that a deputy police chief of Sabah was among some 20 people abducted by the pirates in a raid at about 7pm yesterday. Efforts to establish the identity of the policeman held hostage proved unsuccessful. |
24 April 2000, 19:06 pm - Bernama
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PIRATES AND HOSTAGES LOCATED, SAYS DEFENCE MINISTER
ALOR SETAR, April 24 (Bernama) -- The location of the 20 people taken hostage by armed pirates who raided the Sipadan island off Sabah Sunday night has been identified.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Monday evening:"We now know their exact location." Najib however declined to elaborate when approached by reporters here today for the latest situation report on the incident. Najib said the pirates are not Malaysians. A Malaysian crisis management team was mapping out strategies to handle with the situation, he said. The Defence Ministry had despatched a patrol boat and a maritime surveillance aircraft to the location where the pirates are holding the hostages. "The ministry has also placed all its units on alert," said Najib. Najib said the ministry was standing by to provide logistical support should the police need to despatch reinforcement urgently. But he gave a non-committal reply when asked whether military or police commandos would be sent to free the hostages given that the pirates were reportedly armed with rocket-launchers, among other weapons. Najib assured tourists that ensuring their safety was of prime importance to the government and it was taking measures towards this end. Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said all the 20 hostages are safe. News of the attack reached Tawau on Sabah's east coast at about 8pm last night, about an hour after the pirates struck on the island. Sipadan island is a popular resort especially among scuba-divers. The international waters bordering Sabah, Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesia are pirate-infested with several incidents reported in the last few years. |
24 April 2000, 23:15 pm - Bernama
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- Police said politics could be among the motives of six heavily armed men who took 20 people hostage and fled from Sipadan island in Sabah Sunday night.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said police could not yet confirm the motive for the abduction but politics, ransom and feelings of dissatisfaction were among the possible reasons. Asked whether the kidnapping was connected to the Abu Sayyaf rebel group which was holding several hostages in southern Philippines, he said "there is a possibility". "We seriously feel that politics may be a reason," he told a press conference at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters here Monday afternoon. As at 4.30pm, police had not made any contact with the kidnappers, he said. He said five of the kidnappers who raided the resort island at 7.30pm were armed with AK47 assault machine guns and one had a bazooka. Norian confirmed the nationalities of the 11 foreigners among the hostages -- three Germans, two South Africans, two French nationals, two Finns, one Lebanese and one Filipino who was working on the island. The nine Malaysians taken hostage comprise four workers of the Wildlife Department, three workers of the Sipadan resort centre, a policeman and a staff of Syarikat Borneo Divers. He said an American couple, both aged 51, who were captured together with the 20 people managed to escape before they were forced into a boat. "They fled into the jungles and emerged this morning, and police have taken them to Semporna. Their condition was good and they did not have injuries," he said. Norian said two more policemen were on patrol and several other staff of the resort were around when the armed men struck. He said an American couple, both aged 51, who were captured together with the 20 people managed to escape before they were forced into a boat. "They fled into the jungles and emerged this morning, and police have taken them to Semporna. Their condition was good and they did not have injuries," he said. Norian said the armed men raided the police base on the island before capturing the hostages at 7.30pm. Danny K.K.Chin, a staff of Sipadan Resort and Tours who managed to escaped, said the hostages were having their dinner when the pirates rushed in and seized the money and valuables. There were then seven workers at the resort centre. Two policemen were on patrol at another part of the island which has four resorts. Norian said the kidnappers came in two 'jongkong' boats. "And when fleeing with the hostages they used only one jongkong boat and seized a boat belonging to the resort centre. Their other boat was left behind," he said. The IGP said the kidnappers were all believed to be foreigners. "From the descriptions we have, we conclude that the criminals are foreigners because they spoke fluent English but not the local dialect," he said. He said police had deployed additional units from their air and marine wings for patrolling the country's waters. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this evening that the location of the 20 hostages had been identified. "We now know their exact location," he told reporters in Alor Setar. A Malaysian crisis management team was mapping out strategies to handle with the situation, he said. The Defence Ministry has despatched a patrol boat and a maritime surveillance aircraft to the location where the pirates are holding the hostages. "The ministry has also placed all its units on alert," said Najib. He said the ministry was standing by to provide logistical support should the police need to despatch reinforcement urgently. But he gave a non-committal reply when asked whether military or police commandos would be sent to free the hostages. Najib assured tourists that ensuring their safety was of prime importance to the government and it was taking measures towards this end. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said that based on information given to Wisma Putra, all the 20 hostages were safe. |
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24 April 2000, 19:58 pm - Bernama
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- The hideouts of the armed pirates who took 20 people hostage on Sipadan Island off Sabah Sunday night could be located if the gunmen are positively identified as southern Filipinos, a senior Philippine official said Monday.
Regional Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Nur Misuari said: " If they are from the islands in the southern provinces such as Tawi-Tawi, I am sure the authorities would be able to do something fast to ensure the safe return of the hostages," Misuari said in a telephone interview with Bernama from Manila today. However, Misuari who is also the Chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) said it was vital that the identity and the origin of the pirates be ascertained first before the authorities could make any move. "As for myself, I admit that I have yet to be fully briefed on the Sipadan incident, either by the ARMM or the federal authorities, although I have heard of some "commotion" down south in the Sulu Sea," Misuari said, He also admitted that since the matter was being handled by Manila, the ARMM or the MNLF authorities could not be directly involved in the search and rescue efforts, although most of the southern island provinces are within his jurisdiction. According to Misuari, since the Philippine authorities were already on top of the case, it was not proper for his regional administration to "come into the picture as yet", for it might overlap whatever planning that had already been undertaken. However, he promised that he would use whatever means to hunt down the pirates if required to do so by President Joseph Estrada in his capacity as his as the governor of the southern regions and supreme commander of the MNLF combatants. "I am following closely the development of the incident and continue to gather more information about it. I will immediately deploy my people to converge to the south if I am entrusted by the President to assist our Malaysian counterparts to solve this problem as fast as possible," Misuari said. |
24 April 2000, 22:50 pm - Bernama
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SEMPORNA, April 24 (Bernama) -- Graffiti at a building, believed to house the office of a tour operator on Sipadan Island, is puzzling the islanders and visitors alike.
But they believe the graffiti could shed some lights on the identities of those behind last night's incident where some 20 people, including foreign tourists, were held hostages. Graffiti like "Abu Sayak", "Jawawi" and "Badain" were found of the wall of the building where four of the hostages were said to be held. They were written in black and a combination of small and capital letters. A witness to the incident said a group of four "robbers" entered the building while another stood guard outside. They ordered four employees in the building to get onto a boat which was anchored not far away from the building. "This morning, we found the writings on the wall," said the witness. Before that, the robbers were said to have gone to a resort and threatened the guests, mostly tourists, at the restaurant. A marine life photographer, Danny K. K. Chin, 48, who has been on the island for nine years, said one of the intruders introduced himself as a policeman and ordered him to surrender his wristwatch and handphone. "I thought he was joking...but when he pointed his gun to my head, I knew he wasn't. I got scared and did as I was told," he said when met by Bernama on the island today. He said one of the armed men, speaking in English but with a Suluk accent, then ordered 12 people inside the restaurant to come out and get into two boats which were about 20 metres away. Chin said one of the tourist, an American, refused as his wife could not swim. "When he told them that he would rather be shot than going with them, they left him and his wife alone. "The couple scurried away and hid in the jungle behind the resort. They came out only this morning," he said. He said the group also ransacked the place, took the keys of the resort and belongings of the tourists. "In the commotion, I made my exit and hid in the jungle and came out when everything was all quiet," he said. Chin, however, did not know about the other hostages. Twenty-two hours later, those who survived the incident expressed shock and disbelief even as police personnel stood guard over the island, a popular world destination for scuba divers. |
24 April 2000, 22:51 pm - Bernama
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KOTA KINABALU, April 24 (Bernama) -- After a period of relative calm following the pirate attack in early 1996, Semporna district was again jolted by piracy when six armed men raided the Sipadan island and escaped with 20 hostages yesterday.
Piracy was nothing new to the Sabah east coast as it has experienced several major incidents in the past 15 years. Apart from attacks on fishermen at sea, the usually well-armed pirates had also landed on the coastal towns of Semporna and Lahad Datu before. However, last night's raid on Sipadan, about 30km off Semporna, was the first involving the taking of hostages. Following is the list of pirate attacks in the state's east coast: * Sept 24, 1985 -- 11 people were killed and several injured when 15 armed pirates landed on Lahad Datu town and fired randomly at the public before robbing a bank of RM190,000. The attack was over in about 30 minutes. Police and military personnel pursued the pirates and smashed the group which was hiding on an island near international waters. * Feb 11, 1996 -- A group of about six pirates stormed the Semporna police station before fleeing with about RM100,000 worth of jewellery from a goldsmith's shop. * March 23, 1996 -- Police shot dead a robber and arrested two others from among a group of eight gunmen who robbed a goldsmith's shop of about RM200,000. * June 23, 1996 -- Semporna police shot dead eight pirates who robbed a group of fishermen in Pulau Omadal in Semporna waters. KOTA KINABALU, April 24 (Bernama) -- After a period of relative calm following the pirate attack in early 1996, Semporna district was again jolted by piracy when six armed men raided the Sipadan island and escaped with 20 hostages yesterday. Piracy was nothing new to the Sabah east coast as it has experienced several major incidents in the past 15 years. Apart from attacks on fishermen at sea, the usually well-armed pirates had also landed on the coastal towns of Semporna and Lahad Datu before. However, last night's raid on Sipadan, about 30km off Semporna, was the first involving the taking of hostages. Following is the list of pirate attacks in the state's east coast: * Sept 24, 1985 -- 11 people were killed and several injured when 15 armed pirates landed on Lahad Datu town and fired randomly at the public before robbing a bank of RM190,000. The attack was over in about 30 minutes. Police and military personnel pursued the pirates and smashed the group which was hiding on an island near international waters. * Feb 11, 1996 -- A group of about six pirates stormed the Semporna police station before fleeing with about RM100,000 worth of jewellery from a goldsmith's shop. * March 23, 1996 -- Police shot dead a robber and arrested two others from among a group of eight gunmen who robbed a goldsmith's shop of about RM200,000. * June 23, 1996 -- Semporna police shot dead eight pirates who robbed a group of fishermen in Pulau Omadal in Semporna waters. |
24 April 2000, 23:15 pm - Bernama
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LEAD: ARMED PIRATES TAKE HOSTAGES ON SIPADAN ISLAND
KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- Six pirates, armed with AK47 assault machine guns and a bazooka launcher, took nine Malaysians and 11 foreigners hostage on Sipadan island off the Sabah coast Sunday night.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said the kidnappers, believed to be foreigners, fled with the hostages in a 'jongkong' boat belonging to them and another boat seized from the resort centre, towards Philippine waters. Police could not yet confirm the motive for the abduction as the pirates did not made any contact or demand up to 4.30pm Monday. However, politics, ransom and feelings of dissatisfaction were being considered as possible motives, he told a press conference at the federal police headquarters. "We seriously feel that politics may be a reason," he said. Asked whether the kidnapping was connected to the Abu Sayyaf rebel group which was holding several hostages in southern Philippines, he said "there is a possibility". Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said a special team had been set by the police to rescue the hostages. He said Malaysian police were in contact with their counterparts in Southern Philippines in efforts to track down the pirates. The international waters bordering Sabah, Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesia are pirate-infested with several incidents reported in the last few years. Norian confirmed the nationalities of the 11 foreigners among the hostages -- three Germans, two South Africans, two French nationals, two Finns, one Lebanese and one Filipino who was working on the island. The nine Malaysians taken hostage comprise four workers of the Wildlife Department, three workers of the Sipadan resort centre, a policeman and a staff of Syarikat Borneo Divers. Police did not release the names of the hostages. He said an American couple, both aged 51, who were captured together with the 20 people managed to escape before they were forced into a boat. "They fled into the jungles and emerged this morning, and police have taken them to Semporna. Their condition was good and they did not have injuries," he said. Norian said the armed men raided the police base on the island before capturing the hostages at 7.30pm. Danny K.K.Chin, a staff of Sipadan Resort and Tours who managed to escaped, said the hostages were having their dinner when the pirates rushed in and seized the money and valuables. There were then seven workers at the resort centre. Two policemen were on patrol at another part of the island which has four resorts. Norian said the kidnappers came in two 'jongkong' boats. "And when fleeing with the hostages they used only one jongkong boat and seized a boat belonging to the resort centre. Their other boat was left behind," he said. The IGP said the kidnappers were all believed to be foreigners. "From the descriptions we have, we conclude that the criminals are foreigners because they spoke fluent English but not the local dialect," he said. He said police had deployed additional units from their air and marine wings for patrolling the country's waters. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this evening that the location of the 20 hostages had been identified. "We now know their exact location," he told reporters in Alor Setar. A Malaysian crisis management team was mapping out strategies to handle with the situation, he said. The Defence Ministry has despatched a patrol boat and a maritime surveillance aircraft to the location where the pirates are holding the hostages. "The ministry has also placed all its units on alert," said Najib. He said the ministry was standing by to provide logistical support should the police need to despatch reinforcement urgently. But he gave a non-committal reply when asked whether military or police commandos would be sent to free the hostages. Najib assured tourists that ensuring their safety was of prime importance to the government and it was taking measures towards this end. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said that based on information given to Wisma Putra, all the 20 hostages were safe. |
25 April 2000, 11:22 am - Bernama
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NO DEMANDS YET FROM PIRATES, SAYS PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR
KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- The armed pirates who took 20 people hostage on Sipadan island off the Sabah coast last Sunday night have not made any demands yet to the authorities, indicating that contact have yet to be made by either side.
Philippine ambassador to Malaysia Jose Brillantes said today the crucial thing now was to hear from the "abductors". "They have been quite silent so far," he said when contacted by Bernama here. Brillantes said the reason behind the group's action was "not clear yet". "We cannot discount the fact of them coming out with demands," he said. He said their motives could be related to piracy or something else. On the rescue operation mounted by the Philippine and Malaysian authorities, Brillantes said "some contingent moves" have already been made. "I am quite sure that they are on top of things," he said, without elaborating. Brillantes said he had received reports from Manila that President Joseph Estrada has ordered the Philippine armed forces to cooperate with the Malaysian authorities in search of the hostages. He said the two countries have also activated border patrols. Yesterday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the location of the 20 hostages had been identified. In the Sunday incident, six pirates, armed with AK47 assault machine guns and a bazooka launcher, took nine Malaysians and 11 foreigners hostage. According to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai, the kidnappers, believed to be foreigners, fled with the hostages in a 'jongkong' boat belonging to them and another boat seized from the resort centre, towards Philippine waters. Norian said the armed men raided the police base on the island before capturing the hostages at 7.30pm. He confirmed the nationalities of the 11 foreigners among the hostages -- three Germans, two South Africans, two French nationals, two Finns, one Lebanese, all tourists, and one Filipino who was working on the island. The nine Malaysians taken hostage comprise four workers of the Wildlife Department, three workers of the Sipadan resort centre, a policeman and a staff of Syarikat Borneo Divers. The international waters bordering Sabah, Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesia are pirate-infested with several incidents reported in the last few years. |
25 April 2000, 11:26 am - Bernama
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SEMPORNA, April 25 (Bernama) -- Sipadan island, the scuba-divers' haven off Sabah and scene of last Sunday's raid by armed pirates, has been declared off-limits indefinitely.
In the meantime, the search for the 20 people taken hostage by the pirates during the night-time attack, was continuing. Semporna police chief Supt Sulaiman Junaidi, who announced the closure of the island, said that as of 9am Tuesday, police have yet to locate the abductors' hideaout. " We're tracking them down," he said. Supt Sulaiman said police have already moved workers and tourists on Sipadan island to a nearby resort on Mabul island. |
25 April 2000, 20:27 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIA STILL A SAFE HAVEN FOR TOURISTS: PM
PUTRAJAYA, April 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is still a safe haven for tourists despite Sunday's hostage-taking incident on Sipadan island off Sabah, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
He said the area was a peaceful tourist resort as there had been no such incidents before. However, he said: "It will affect tourism in Sabah but the rest of the country is not affected by this (incident). Malaysia is very safe for tourists." Dr Mahathir said this when asked at a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office here about the latest situation on the incident in which armed pirates took 20 people, including foreign tourists, hostage. He said the raid was not carried out by Malaysians, adding: "We don't get this kind of things happening in Malaysia very often." Dr Mahathir said while there could be lax of security at some tourist spots in the area, there was no serious danger. There would be more patrols by the security forces in the area, he said. He said the authorities were still investigating the Sipadan hostage-taking and reasons behind it. "We do not want to accuse anyone, we are investigating," he said when asked whether international politics could be a reason. In the incident, six pirates, armed with AK47 assault rifles and a bazooka, took nine Malaysians and 11 foreigners hostage and fled with them in two boats towards Philippine waters. The prime minister was also asked about the US authorities' use of force to seize six-year-old Cuban castaway boy Elian Gonzalez, Dr Mahathir said:"We're gentle people...we don't point guns at anybody and resort to violence." "I am not against the American people, I don't like their press and some American leaders. They are always fabricating lies about Malaysia," he added. |
| 25 April 2000, 16:17 pm - Bernama |
| HOSTAGES ARE NOW OUTSIDE MALAYSIA'S WATERS, SAYS NAJIB
KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- The 20 people taken hostage by pirates on Pulau Sipadan off the Sabah coast Sunday are now outside Malaysian waters, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Tuesday. However, he declined to elaborate when asked whether the hostages were in Philippine waters. Speaking to reporters at the parliament lobby, here, he said Malaysia hoped for assistance from the Philippine government to secure the safe release of the hostages. "This effort (to secure the release of the hostages) is underway and we hope for positive developments," he said. Speculations are rife that the hostage-taking was executed by Abu Sayyaf rebels who are based in southern Philippines. Najib said the situation in Pulau Sipadan and Tawau was under control and the ministry gave an assurance that security measures including deploying more personnel to the area had been implemented. The armed forces had sent a maritime patrol aircraft and a patrol boat to the area to help search for the hostages, he said. |
25 April 2000, 16:26 pm - Bernama
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| REMAIN CALM, GIVE INFO, SHAFIE ADVISES SEMPORNA PEOPLE
PORT DICKSON, April 25 (Bernama) -- Deputy Defence Minister and the Member of Parliament for Semporna Datuk Shafie Apdal has urged his constituents to provide whatever information they have about last Sunday's hostage-taking by armed pirates on Sipadan island.
He said any information could be crucial for the security forces in rescuing the 20 people taken hostage, including foreign tourists. Shafie was in constant contact with the district security committee to keep abreast with the latest situation in Semporna. "The overall security situation in Semporna is good," he told reporters after presenting keys of quarters for married servicemen at the army garrison here. Shafie acknowledged that pirates had attacked Semporna in 1995 but unlike Sunday's hostage-taking incident, they only robbed the people of their belongings and money then. Shafie said to beef up security in Semporna, a naval base costing RM120 million was being built there and due for completion in three years' time. The base would also take care of security of nearby Tawau, Lahat Datu and Kunak. Shafie said he would not say whether insiders were involved in the hostage-taking incident. He added that he had yet to be informed of the fate of the hostages. |
25 April 2000, 21:28 pm - Bernama
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| FAMILIES OF TWO HOSTAGES PRAY FOR THEIR RELEASE
TAWAU, April 25 (Bernama) -- In their moments of distress, the families of two people captured by pirates from Sipadan island on Sunday night could only pray for their safe return.
"There is nothing much to say except that we are praying for his safety," said Masnah Talib, 48, whose son Zulkarnain Hashim was among 20 people spirited away by six heavily armed men. Masnah said she last spoke to Zulkarnain last Friday when he asked her to send him food through a travel agent going to the island. Masnah said she cooked him "sambal ikan bilis" and sent the food as requested. Zulkarnain, 29, from Tawau, has been working with the Wildlife Department for nine years. Masnah described Zulkarnain, her only child, as a hardworking and religious person. Zulkarnain's wife, Siti Hajar Zakaria, 26, was by her mother-in-law's side during the interview but was relatively quiet because she was too distraught. Nelen Jaikin, 35, said she was shocked and overcome with emotions when the Wildlife Department headquarters in Kota Kinabalu informed her that her husband Francis Masungkim, 35, was among those taken hostage. "They (department staff) advise me to have a lot of patience," said Nelen, who has two children aged two and four. Nelen said her husband last contacted her on Saturday. She said Zulkarnain and Francis were supposed to be on a two-week shift on the resort island but their stay was extended to a month on the instruction of the department's headquarters. She said they had to be there longer to guide two staff newly deployed on the island, Basilius Jim and Balachandran Nair. The two were also captured by the pirates who escaped with their hostages in two boats into international waters. |
25 April 2000, 21:30 pm - Bernama
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| ASSISTANT COOK LEE MAY BE CAPTIVE NUMBER 21
SEMPORNA, April 25 (Bernama) -- Police have disclosed that armed pirates who attacked Sipadan island last Sunday have taken altogether 21 hostages and not 20 as earlier reported.
When asked to confirm the actual number of captives involved, Sabah Commissioner of Police Datuk Mamat Talib said: "It's 21." Although Mamat did not elaborate on the identity of the latest captive, speculation was rife today that assistant cook Lee Hock Leong, 20, may be hostage number 21. Lee, whose name was initially not in the official list of hostages, was employed by the Sipadan Dive Centre. According to an uncle who wished not to be named, Lee had worked there for the past six months and was an apprentice cook in Tawau before that. According to the uncle, prior to the incident, Lee went to Pulau Sipadan Resort to invite friends over for barbecue at the Sipadan Dive Centre not far from the resort. "While he was there, the kidnappers came," the uncle said. The uncle said Lee's family members heard of pirate attack on Sunday night and at 8 am the next day he and some relatives took a boat to Sepadan Island and circled the place several times to look for Lee. "We failed to locate him and returned here at about 4 pm," the uncle said when met here, visibly anxious as the other family members about Lee's fate. Meanwhile, Pulau Sipadan Resort manager Cetrick Chin said the kidnappers seemed to know the place very well. He did not rule out the possibility of the pirates getting help from insiders. According to Chin, a staff member of the resort alerted him about the raid and he subsequently informed the Semporna police station on the mainland some 40 minutes boat ride away. |
25 April 2000, 23:30 pm - Bernama
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| NUR MISUARI PLEDGES TO HELP SECURE RELEASE OF HOSTAGES
KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- Nur Misuari, the governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), today pledged to do all he can to secure the release of the 21 people abducted by six armed pirates in Sipadan island on Sunday night.
In an interview with Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), he said the latest information he had was that 17 of the hostages were being detained in Jolo island. "Our latest pro intelligence (development report) is that the 17 of them have landed in Jolo island. And I've asked my intelligence and military and security officers to find out exactly the truth behind this report and report to me whatever the findings," he said. Nur Misuari, who is the chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), said he had been given the mandate by Philippine President Joseph Estrada to help Malaysia in efforts to secure the release of the hostages. He said if it was confirmed that the pirates were members of Abu Sayyaf, he would try to appoint a special negotiator to hold talks with the radical separatist group operating in southern Philippines. The governor, however, said he would not compromise if the abductors demanded money for the release of the hostages. "Estrada requested me to help resolve this hostage crisis because of my close ties with Malaysians. I therefore wish to inform all Malaysians that the Moro people, led by MNLF, will not rest until all the hostages, comprising Malaysians and others, are freed," he said. The six pirates, armed with AK-47 rifles and a bazooka, abducted the 21 people, comprising 10 Malaysians and 11 foreigners, after storming a police base and a resort in Sipadan island, off the east coast of Sabah. |
26 April 2000, 09:25 am - Bernama
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| NO DEMAND FROM SIPADAN HOSTAGE TAKERS, SAY POLICE
KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- The six armed men who abducted 21 people from Sipadan island on Sunday night have not contacted the Malaysian authorities to make any demand, including ransom, police said last night.
"There has been no direct contact between the abductors and the authorities so far," Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said. Intelligence reports showed that all the hostages were safe but this could not be verified, he told reporters at a fund-raising dinner organised by the police here. Asked whether the pirates and hostages had left Malaysian waters, he said: "There are no indications that the abductors and hostages are outside Malaysian waters and also no signs that they are now in southern Philippines." However, Norian did not rule out the possibility that they could have already fled to southern Philippines. In the Sunday raid, six foreigners armed with AK47 assault rifles and a bazooka launcher, took 11 foreigners and 10 Malaysians hostage from the resort island and escaped in two boats towards international waters. Norian said police together with the Armed Forces, Foreign Ministry and other departments involved in the search and rescue operation for the hostages held a meeting this afternoon which was chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali. "The meeting was held to work out measures that need to be taken and the appropriate considerations for resolving this issue," he said. "At the meeting, certain instructions were issued to all the departments involved," he said. Asked on the motive for the abduction, Norian said: "From information we obtained so far, we believe the motive relevant to the incident is international politics...no evidence to show that the motive is more than that." Norain was also asked on a telephone call reportedly made by the Abu Sayyaf rebel group to a radio station in southern Philippines. Norian said: "We know about the radio broadcast which could be monitored in Semporna, but it was only a telephone call and there is no evidence that the caller is a representative of Abu Sayyaf." A foreign news agency report today said The DXRZ radio station in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga had received a call from a man who identified himself as Abu Sabaya, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf group. "We are responsible for the abduction of these foreign nationals. We still have more surprises for the government if they will continue to ignore our demands," the radio quoted the caller as saying. |
26 April 2000, 15:02 pm - Bernama
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| PUBLIC CAN VISIT SIPADAN AS USUAL WITH PERMIT FROM NSC
SEMPORNA, April 26 (Bernama) -- Sipadan Island is, as usual, open to all tourists and members of the public, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Mamat Talib.
He denied reports of the island being off-limits following last Sunday's hostage-taking incident. Also as per normal, visitors can get the permit to visit Sipadan from the national security division in Kota Kinabalu, he told reporters here Wednesday. Mamat said:" Reports of Sipadan Island being off-limits to tourists and others are not true. As per normal they can visit the island after getting the permit." Sipadan Island, a popular scuba-diving haven, was raided by armed pirates who abducted 21 people, including 11 foreigners, and possibly took them to southern Philippines. Mamat was clarifying newspaper reports today quoting Semporna district police chief Supt Sulaiman Junaidi as saying that Sipadan was closed indefinitely to facilitate investigation into the hostage-taking incident. The state police commissioner had earlier briefed visiting Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Sakaran Dandai here on the latest situation on the incident. The reports also quoted Sulaiman as saying that police evacuated workers and tourists from Sipadan to nearby Mabul Island, also another popular scuba-diving spot off Semporna "The closure (of Sipadan) is not true," said Mamat. Mamat said intending visitors to Sipadan Island should get permission from the national security division in Kota Kinabalu which issues permit to a maximum of 80 tourists and 23 workers at a time. The permit requirement was not a new ruling and was first introduced in 1997. Mamat also said Sipadan is safe to visit. "I'm giving the assurance that the island is safe and we have ordered for police reinforcement and security be tightened," he said. Mamat said that from now on only the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai can issue statements on the latest development relating to the hostage crisis. Last Sunday night, six armed pirates raided Sipadan Island and took 21 people hostage, including 11 foreigners, and then fled with their captives in two boats towards Philippine waters. |
26 April 2000, 17:22 pm - Bernama
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| POSSIBLE LOCATION OF HOSTAGES STILL UNCONFIRMED
KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Police say they still cannot confirm yet various reports from the Philippines about the location of 21 people taken hostage by armed pirates who raided Sipadan Island off Sabah last Sunday.
The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said Wednesday various quarters have been making claims of the hostages being held on certain islands or spots. But police still could not verify these claims until they receive official words from the Philippine authorities, Norian told Bernama in an interview here. "A provincial governor may say the hostages are in Basilan, Jolo or Tawi-Tawi but there's nothing affirmative," Norian said in the interview at his office at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman. Likewise, Norian said, there was nothing definite about the group holding the hostages, be it the Abu Sayyaf gang or others, given that southern Philippines is home to many of them. The IGP said it was also difficult for the Philippine government to deal the hostage crisis because several factions had stayed out of the peace accord signed between Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) led by Nur Misuari. "This is typical of international terrorist groups. If this is done by the international terrorists, normally it cannot be resolved within a short period. They have their strategies like what is being done by the Abu Sayyaf group now in the Philippines," he said. The group is holding at least 27 hostages, mainly schoolchildren in their mountain lair in the Southern Philippines. On Sunday, the military launched a massive assault to try and free the captives held since last month and 20 rebels were believed killed. "If it is done by an international terrorist group, we have to be mentally prepared for a long (hostage crisis)," he said. The Abu Sayyaf group, fighting for an independent state in Southern Philippines, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in Sipadan. Norian also denied talk that security had been lax and that armed pirates could "walk in and out" as and when they liked in some coastal towns in Sabah. He said armed pirates raids of the scale of the Sunday incident in Sipadan last happened four years ago in Semporna in Sabah's east coast when gunmen robbed a goldsmith in Semporna. Three months after this March 23, 1996 incident, police shot dead four armed pirates, also near the Semporna waters. Twenty heavily armed pirates with sophisticated assault rifles and rocket launchers raided another coastal town, Lahad Datu, on Sept 24, 1984 killing eight people in the Standard Chartered Bank, which they robbed of RM60,000. The IGP said: "Of course there have been people being robbed at sea but these were mostly petty thefts. The one that took place in Sipadan appeared to involve a wider motive and is an isolated case". He said pirates struck not only in Sabah waters but also in the Straits of Melaka, the Singapore Straits and these were beyond the jurisdiction of the Malaysian police. But Norian agreed that although it was an isolated case, the incident such as Sipadan's which involved foreign tourists and thus attracting international media coverage, was serious enough to warrant beefed-up efforts against piracies in Malaysian waters. He also clarified press reports about the closure of Sipadan to tourists, saying the island is still open to visitors. "The decision made is to continue to keep Pulau Sipadan opened to tourists and the public according to existing procedures as Sipadan is popular among tourists. "Applications are required to go there. As it is small, we cannot just go there. The island is not closed," he said. |
26 April 2000, 17:32 pm - Bernama
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| BE PATIENT AS GOVERNMENT TRYING TO RESOLVE SITUATION, RELATIVES TOLD
KOTA KINABALU, April 26 (Bernama) -- Deputy Home Minister Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin Wednesday advised relatives of the 21 people abducted from Sipadan Island last Sunday to be patient as the government is trying to resolve the situation.
He said the government was prepared to render appropriate assistance to them during their time of crisis. "The government does not view their problem lightly and hope that they will be patient," he told reporters after opening a seminar on drug prevention at the workplace, here today. He said that so far the government had not received any new information on the captives. Zainal said members of the security forces had enhanced monitoring operations in the area. He said the government had also deployed more police and marine police personnel on the resort island. Zainal also said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had also directed more armed forces personnel in particular the navy to help in the search and rescue operations. Last Sunday, six armed men abducted 21 people including 10 foreign tourists from the island, also a popular world destination for scuba diving. |
26 April 2000, 19:34 pm - Bernama
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| POLICE TIGHTEN SECURITY IN SABAH WATERSBy Kuzaimah Idris KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Security checks in Sabah waters have been intensified following Sunday's incident in which six armed men took 21 people hostage and escaped from Sipadan island, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said Wednesday. From yesterday, all foreign boats, especially from the Philippines, entering the country had been subjected to thorough checks, he said. "Apart from that police personnel at the forward base on Pulau Mataking, Sabah, will inspect all foreign boats wishing to enter Sabah waters...and this measure was also introduced yesterday," he told Bernama in an interview at his office in Bukit Aman here. He said although security checks were standard procedures, they were not implemented comprehensively when the security situation in Sabah was not under threat. "Of course, it has been a procedure but when the situation was calm, the base was not active and it was not mandatory for all boats wishing to enter to be inspected,but now we have tightened the regulations and controls," he said. In the Sunday night raid, the six heavily armed pirates abducted 10 Malaysians and 11 foreigners and fled in two boats towards Philippine waters. Norian said police had also stepped up air surveillance and sea patrols in the coastal areas. "Our focus now is on the coastal areas to ensure the safety of residents there, and steps have been taken to beef up security through PGA (General Operations Force) checks," he said. "Although on the whole there have been no new incidents that threaten security since that raid, the local people might be worried by that incident and because of this we are stepping up checks," he said. Norian admitted that Sabah's vast borders and waters had made it difficult for the authorities to control and monitor all entry points, especialy since only a small number of personnel were allowed to be stationed on Pulau Sipadan. Norian said this was because under an agreement signed with Indonesia, which is also claiming Sipadan island, the Malaysian authorities were not allowed to deploy a big group to guard the island. The case on overlapping claims to Sipadan island has been referred to the International Court of Justice. "In a normal situation, three personnel will be enough to maintain security but wherever we are, for example on Pulau Redang, if 10 well-armed people storm the place, what could we do? (with a small number of personnel)," he said. Describing the abduction as something unexpected, Norian said the situation in the country's waters was peaceful and the Sipadan case was an isolated incident. Norian said the National Security Council (NSC) had set up a special operations room to handle enquiries from relatives of those held captive. This was decided yesterday by a committee comprising representatives of departments involved in the search and rescue operation for the captives, he said. Yesterday's meeting was chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali. "Any enquiries can be directed to the operations room so that the police, who have received many calls, need not attend to them. Press statements can also be issued by this committee," he said. The operations room can be contacted round-the-clock at 03-2936862 or 03-2067821. |
26 April 2000, 19:57 pm - Bernama
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| SPECULATION ON SIPADAN KIDNAPPING UNDERMINES TOURISM
KOTA KINABALU, April 26 (Bernama) -- Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Osu Sukam has voiced concern over the adverse effects of speculative and confusing reports on last Sunday's kidnapping by gunmen on Sipadan Island off Semporna.
Osu, who is also state security committee chairman, said such reports would undermine Sabah's tourism industry. The state government had been alerted of anticipated cancellation of several charted flights by foreign tourists following last Sunday's incident, he said. Osu told reporters this after chairing the weekly meeting of the state Cabinet here today. "We therefore hope that they (the media) will not report rumours and hearsay but base their reports on statements issued by the government," Osu said. Osu said the abduction was an isolated case and he hoped that whatever damage done by confusing and speculative media coverage to the state's tourism industry would only be temporary. He said tourists still on Sipadan could continue holidaying and scuba-diving there regardless of the on-going investigations into the incident. In last Sunday's incident six men armed with automatic rifles and a rocket launcher abducted 21 foreign holiday-makers and local workers and took them in two boats towards Philippine waters. |
26 April 2000, 21:35 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIA WILL ENSURE ALL THOSE ABDUCTED ARE SAFE
KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has assured countries concerned that it will take all measures to ensure the safety of their citizens, who are among the 21 people abducted by armed men from Sipadan Island last Sunday.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said he gave the government's assurance to from South African representative and ambassadors from Finland, France, Germany and Lebanon in a meeting at his office Wednesday. "We assure them that the Malaysian government will take whatever measures to ensure their safety and will take action to free them from their abductors," he told reporters after launching the magazine South Review at a hotel, here. Syed Hamid said he also updated them on action taken by Malaysia to ensure the safety of the captives. "We are doing everything to find out where they are and to know the real situation," he said. In the incident, the abductors took them away in two boats which sped off towards the Philippines. The victims comprise 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, a Lebanese and a Filipino. Sipadan, one of the popular diving spots in the world, is only about 45 minute boat ride from Southern Philippines. Syed Hamid also said that based on information received by Wisma Putra, the armed men reportedly had contacted a radio station in the Philippines and claimed that the abduction was carried out by the Abu Sayyaf group. Abu Sayyaf is one of two Muslim groups fighting for an Islamic state in the south of Philippines. Syed Hamid said Malaysia was getting close cooperation from the Philippines in the matter. Wisma Putra has also set up a 24-hour operation room until the problem is resolved. He also said the government had decided to continue to open Sipadan and Ligitan to tourists as both islands are safe. |
26 April 2000, 23:14 pm - Bernama
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| SPECIAL COMMITTEE SET UP TO TACKLE ABDUCTION CASE
KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- A special commitee has been set up to deal with the Sipadan abduction issue and ensure that all the 21 captives are released unharmed, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today.
He said the committee, set up immediately after the incident, is headed by the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali with the members comprising those from the defence, home and foreign ministries and the prime ministry department. Speaking to reporters ater chairing the Umno Management and Disciplinary Committee meeting here, Abdullah said the cabinet at its meeting today had decided that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Norian Mai be the official spokesman on the issue. In the Sunday night incident, six armed gunmen abducted 21 people including 11 foreign tourists from the Sipadan island and sped off in two boats towards the Philippine waters. The captives comprise 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, a Lebanese and a Filipino. Asked about the latest development on the incident, Abdullah said, "I have no information on what is happening, and the cabinet which met today had decided that Tan Sri Norian give out the update from time to time." Abdullah, who is also Home Minister, said that as there had been many speculations and reports about the issue, the government felt Norian was the best person to issue statements on the matter. Abdullah said he was confident that those assigned to deal the problem could handle it and everything possible was being done to free the captives. |
27 April 2000, 09:37 am - Bernama
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| OPERATIONS CENTRE SET UP FOLLOWING SIPADAN INCIDENT
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- A 24-hour operation centre has been set here following the abduction of 21 Malaysians and foreigners by gunmen in Sipadan Island on Sunday night.
The National Security Division, Prime Minister's Department said it is managing the centre with the cooperation of police and the information, defence and foreign ministries. The centre, which commenced operations this morning, is responsible for handling visits to the island by relatives of the captives, members of foreign diplomatic missions and tourists. It also serves as the coordinating centre and media centre, according to a statement last night. The centre is operating from the National Security Council Operations Room at 6th Floor, Block D, Prime Minister's Department, Jalan Datuk Onn. (Tel: 03-2588704/2936862, fax:03-2936863, e-mail: upkb@bkn.jpm.my). A similar centre is located at the National Security Division, 26M, 6th Floor, Blocks D and E, Bangunan KWSP, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. (Tel: 088-247149, fax: 088-2411052). The statement said foreign journalists wishing to go to the island must first obtain a press accrediation card from the Information Department, 7th Floor, Wisma Bernama, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-2988235 or 03-29883355 (ext241), fax: 03-2984162, e-mail:resat@penerangan.gov.my). Foreign journalists already in Sabah may apply for the card from the department at 9th Floor, Wisma Dang Bandang, Kota Kinabalu. (Tel: 088-280600, fax: 088-217031). |
27 April 2000, 11:26 am - Bernama
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| THE VERY NAME OF ABDUL RAJAK JANJALANI STRIKES FEAR IN MINDANAO
By Ali Mamat
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- He had a soft face, was easily approachable, charming, highly courteous and always held a string of prayer beads. Looking at his gentle character even an ant will not die if he were to step on it. No one ever thought that the late Abdul Rajak Janjalani will become the founder of the radical, extremist and much feared Moro separatist group in Mindanao. Some in the Philippines consider the group led by him, known as "Abu Sayyaf" as a terrorist organisation which does not show mercy. The group in the course of its activities does not select its targets. What ever opportunity which can profit its struggle be it money or political advantages would not be allowed to pass. The latest example of its "end justifies the means" approach is the abduction of 21 people, assuming Malaysian and Philippine intelligence reports are correct, comprising locals and foreigners from Pulau Sipadan, Sabah. |
27 April 2000, 14:58 pm - Bernama
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| MISUARI'S MEN MAKE CONTACT WITH SIPADAN KIDNAPPERS
By E Sivabalan
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- Two top military officers of Nur Misuari's Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have made contact with the armed group which kidnapped 21 people in Sipadan island off Sabah last Sunday. According to MNLF information chief Ibrahim Omar, attempts have been made to free the 21 people, including 10 Malaysians, now held captive in Talipao, a municipality in the southern Philippine province of Jolo. "They are being held in one place in Talipao," Ibrahim told Bernama when contacted in Manila today. Ibrahim said this was the latest information given to Misuari by the two military officers Misuari sent to negotiate with the kidnappers. Ibrahim said Philippine President Joseph Estrada gave Misuari, the Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in southern Philippines, the mandate to negotiate with the kidnappers. Apart from the 10 Malaysians, the other captives are three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, one Lebanese and a Filipino. Ibrahim said Misuarim who is now in Manila, would be flying to Zamboanga later today and then to Jolo. Asked if Misuari would be meeting with the kidnappers, Ibrahim said: "If there is a need." He said that at the moment, the two military officers were negotiating with the kidnappers. On Misuari's statement yesterday that the 10 Malaysian nationals might be released soon, Ibrahim said: "We cannot confirm if they have been released." Misuari was quoted as saying that the Malaysians "could be released soon under separate negotiations". |
27 April 2000, 18:43 pm - Bernama
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| SECURITY PATROLS IN MALAYSIAN WATERS TO BE STEPPED UP
LUMUT, April 27 (Bernama) -- Security patrols in Malaysian waters will be stepped up with the focus on areas frequented by people such as Pulau Sipadan, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Thursday.
"We will strengthen our presence particularly in areas frequented by visitors such as the Sabah coast," he told reporters after attending a ceremony at which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah conferred new colours on the Navy and KD Malaya here. He said patrol boats would be permanently deployed around Pulau Sipadan and there would also be increased number of security personnel on the island. "The military will focus on Pulau Sipadan so that there will not be a repeat of the recent problem," he said when referring to the abduction of 21 people including 10 Malaysians from the island by armed gunmen on Sunday. Najib said increased attention would also be given to other areas such as Layang-layang which also attracted tourists. On whether the Pulau Sipadan incident would call for an increase in the allocation for defence, Najib said it depended on the country's means. "Incidents such as that on Pulau Sipadan will at least create an awareness among the people and others that we cannot reduce expenditure on security," he said. Najib however declined to go into details on the measures that would be taken to enhance defence of the country's territorial waters particularly the development of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Commando Force. "We need not go into details.....the important thing is we are able to guarantee that Pulau Sipadan is safe and we will ensure that our defence is stepped up to enable us to face any eventuality," he said. |
27 April 2000, 18:40 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIAN EMBASSY DENIES IT WILL PAY RANSOM TO SIPADAN KIDNAP GANG
MANILA, April 27 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian embassy here today denied news reports it would negotiate ransom payment to the gunmen who kidnapped 21 people in Sipadan Island off Sabah last Sunday night.
"That's rubbish. The Malaysian government will not give ransom to anybody or any group. That's the principle," ambassador Arshad Hussein said. He was reacting to reports quoting an unnamed Malaysian embassy official as calling a radio station in Zamboanga city, south of Manila, that the embassy wanted to negotiate and was willing to pay ransom to the kidnappers. Philippine authorities had confirmed that the kidnappers brought their 21 captives, including 10 Malaysians and 11 foreigners, to the predominantly Muslim-populated Sulu province, 1,000 km south of here. Arshad said it did not make sense for Malaysia to negotiate with the kidnappers since they are now on Philippine soil and that the Philippine government had already taken the initiative to secure the release of the victims. President Joseph Estrada today gave the mandate to Muslim Mindanao Governor Nur Misuari to lead the government's negotiation with the abductors and secure the release of the victims. Estrada's move followed reports that the kidnappers belonged to the Moro National Liberation Front which Misuari headed in a bloody separatist war in Mindanao in the early '70s. Arshad told Bernama that Malaysia respects Manila's decision to appoint Misuari as negotiator, adding "we have full trust and confidence in his negotiating abilities." Asked what role Malaysia would play now in the kidnapping drama, Arshad said: "Whatever role the Philippines would like us to play, we will consider." He said although the kidnapping happened in a Malaysian territory, it would appear now that Manila would have to take the lead role in the negotiation since both the abductors and the victims are already in the Philippines. "This is now a transnational crime. Obviously, the Philippines has to take the lead role in the negotiations," added Arshad. |
27 April 2000, 20:01 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIA WILLING TO NEGOTIATE WITH SIPADAN KIDNAPPERS, SAYS PM
ALOR SETAR, April 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is willing to negotiate with the gunmen who kidnapped 21 people on Sipadan island last Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
Dr Mahathir said: "We'll do anything to secure the release of the captives. "We're not discounting any options to secure their release." The prime minister told reporters this when approached at the airport here before returning to Kuala Lumpur after a one-day working visit to Kedah. He was asked whether the government would negotiate with the kidnappers for the release of their captives. "We'll try to negotiate first. Even with the (Japanese) Red Army we did that," he said. The prime minister made reference to Japanese terrorists who raided and took hostages in the AIA building in Kuala Lumpur. In last Sunday's incident, six men armed with AK-47 rifles and a bazooka kidnapped 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese and a Filipino. Asked whether the government was prepared to meet the kidnappers' demands, if at all they did make them, Dr Mahathir said: "We don't know." To another question, the prime minister said he was unsure of the authenticity of a newspaper report about the kidnappers demanding a RM10-million ransom for the release of their captives. Nor could he verify reports of the kidnappers' willingness to free the Malaysians among the captives, the prime minister said. Dr Mahathir also said that Malaysia would accept outside assistance to resolve the problem. Malaysian police,navy and the air force were still placed on high alert and patrolling the scene of the incident as well as international waters there. To another question, Dr Mahathir added that he would leave it to the security experts to adopt the best approach for operations in such crisis situation. |
27 April 2000, 20:07 pm - Bernama
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| CLOSE KL-MANILA COOPERATION IN SIPADAN CASE, SAYS ENVOY
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- The number of government agencies from Malaysia and the Philippines getting involved in the handling of the Sipadan kidnap crisis does not pose a problem, Philippine ambassador Jose Brillantes said today.
He said in a telephone interview that it "does not really complicate matters". Brillantes said the cooperation between the authorities of the two countries in the handling of the case which enters the fifth day today had been close. Six men armed with assault rifles and a bazooka, believed to be from the Philippines, kidnapped 21 people -- 10 Malaysians and 11 tourists -- from Sipadan island off Sabah last Sunday. The captives are now believed detained in one of the Sulu islands in southern Philippines. The various military services and police are among the agencies involved in the handling of the crisis which is presently in "negotiation" mode, according to Philippine officials. According to reports, the Philippine government was trying to negotiate the release of the hostages through emissaries assigned by Moro leader Nur Misuari. It was reported that President Joseph Estrada gave Misuari, the governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in southern Philippines, the mandate to negotiate with the kidnappers. Meanwhile, the National Security Council said today the condition of the captives who had been detained for the past five days was still not known. A spokesman said the council had yet to receive any update on the reported imminent release of Malaysian detainees by the armed group at a Sabah coastal town. "We have contacted Sabah but still no news of their release so far," he said. |
27 April 2000, 22:00 pm - Bernama
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| MISUARI VOWS TO WORK FOR RELEASE OF CAPTIVES
MANILA, April 27 (Bernama) -- Muslim Mindanao Governor Nur Misuari said today he will exert his best efforts for the speedy release of the 21 hostages held captive by kidnappers in Sulu province.
"I intend to use my old repertoire of tactics and strategies in dealing with this hostage situation. I want to proceed from a position of strength psychologically and even militarily," he told a news conference, here. The kidnappers, reportedly belonging to the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group, had demanded 10 million ringgit in exchange for the freedom of the hostages, many of them foreign tourists. Misuari warned that he would mobilise his "Bangsa Moro Army" to put a stop to kidnappings. He heads the Moro National Liberation Front which had sealed a peace pact with the government in 1996 to end its separatist war in southern Philippines. "I will not tolerate any kidnap for ransom. I don't want society to fall victim to kidnapping or become hostages," Misuari said. He said that as President Joseph Estrada's special negotiator, "I would do my level best to expedite the release of the hostages." He said that in an administrative order, President Estrada gave him a "general and comprehensive" mandate to deal with the hostage takers. Misuari said Estrada had also instructed the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippines National Police to cooperate with him to ensure the welfare and safety of the hostages. He said the Lebanese government, through the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), had also requested the Philippines that he be appointed negotiator for the release of the hostages, one of whome is a Lebanese woman. In the incident on Sunday night, a group of six men armed with AK47 assault rifles and a rocket launcher abducted 21 people, including 11 foreign tourists, on the island and took them away in a boat. Misuari, a separatist leader turned bureaucrat, has had a good track record in negotiating the safe release of kidnap victims in Mindanao. He was responsible for the release of two Spanish nuns and two German nationals abducted in separate incidents several years ago. According to Misuari, he was also involved in several negotiations abroad that also led to the safe release of hostages. |
27 April 2000, 22:49 pm - Bernama
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| SIPADAN: NUR MISUARI TO MEET EMISSARY OF KIDNAPPERS TOMORROW
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- Nur Misuari, who was given the mandate to negotiate with the armed group which kidnapped 21 people in Sipadan island off Sabah last Sunday, will meet the emissary of the kidnappers tomorrow morning.
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) information chief Ibrahim Omar said Misuari was now in Zamboanga City and would hold a meeting with the commanders of the various MNLF units. Misuari, who is also Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had been mandated by President Joseph Estrada to establish contact and negotiate with the kidnappers to ensure that the captives are released unharmed. Ibrahim told Bernama when contacts in Manila tonight that at the moment, the two MNLF military officers who had made contact with the armed group were still negotiating with the kidnappers. In last Sunday's incident, six men armed with AK-47 rifles and a bazooka kidnapped 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese and a Filipino. Asked if any of the captives had been released, he said that according to the latest information given by the two military officers, none of them had been released. |
28 April 2000, 12:27 pm - Bernama
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| NEGOTIATION WITH EMISSARY OF KIDNAPPERS SET FOR TODAY
KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Mindanao Autonomous Muslim Region governor Nur Misuari will start formal negotiations later Friday with the emissary of the armed group which kidnapped 21 people in Sipadan island off Sabah last Sunday.
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) information chief Ibrahim Omar when contacted in Manila today said Misuari was expected to meet the emissary at 4pm in Zamboanga City in the Philippines. "The emissary was supposed to have met with chairman Misuari this morning but it had to be delayed to 4pm today," he said but did not give any reason for the delay. Misuari had been mandated by President Joseph Estrada to establish contact and negotiate with the kidnappers to ensure that the captives are released unharmed. On the health condition of the 21 captives, Ibrahim could only say that the area, where they were being holed-up, "lacked facilities". Yesterday, Ibrahim said the victims were being held in Talipao, a municipality in the province of Jolo in southern Philippines. In last Sunday's incident, six men armed with AK-47 rifles and a bazooka kidnapped 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese and a Filipino. |
28 April 2000, 15:00 pm - Bernama
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| SULU GOVERNOR REFUTES HOSTAGE RELEASE REPORTS
By Ali Mamat
KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- The Governor of Sulu Province in the Southern Philippine Abdul Sakur Tan today refuted reports by certain agencies that the kidnappers, allegedly from the Abu Sayyaf Muslim separatist group had decided to release some of the 21 hostages abducted from Sipadan Island on Sunday. Infact he outrightly denied reports that the kidnappers had attempted to free 10 of the hostages, all Malaysians, but aborted it when their boat mulfunctioned. "Ridiculous and illogical...no kidnappers in their right frame of mind would do so without any assurance of a safe passage such as taking along with them government officials as a guarantee." "Moreover, at the time the reports went into circulation, no official contact had been established yet between the kidnappers and the authorities, apart from intelligence gathering efforts. It could have been obtained from loose information," Abdul Sakur told Bernama when contacted by phone in Jolo, the provincial capital of Sulu. He suspected that such reports could have originated from "loose information" obtained in the streets of Jolo and elsewhere in Southern Philippine where "everybody seems to be anxious to discuss and speculate about the latest kidnapping incident". Abdul Sakur said although he had not been officially requested by Prof Nur Misuari to participate in any effort to secure the release of all the 21 hostages, he was closely monitoring the development of the case because the area where the kidnappers kept their captives was within his jurisdiction. Misuari who is the regional governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was mandated by President Joseph Estrada to lead the negotiation with the kidnappers and take what ever steps deemed fit to solve the hostage crisis. According to Abdul Sakur, since Jolo is now the centre of the whole drama, it was only proper that he extended all the necessary assistance to ensure the safe release of the hostages, even if he was not invited to be part of the crisis management team. He confirmed earlier reports that from feedback he had gathered so far, all the hostages, believed to be confined to Talipao, a densely forested hill village some 20km from Jolo, are fine and well.
He was confident that being a former rebel himself, Misuari could handle the issue well because of his vast knowledge of the jungle and the terrain in Jolo and also he commanded the respect of most of the Moro population.
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28 April 2000, 15:09 pm - Bernama
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| POLICE PROBE SHOWS LOCAL PEOPLE INVOLVEMENT IN KIDNAPPING - IGP
SEMPORNA, Sabah, April 28 (Bernama) --Police investigations into the kidnapping of 21 people from Pulau Sipadan in Sabah waters on Sunday show local people's involvement in the case, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said here today.
The involvement was more in the form of passing of information to the kidnappers, he said. Norian said so far police had detained seven people to help them in their probe. Asked whether they were employed at the Sipadan Resort, Norian said,"No, they were not even former employees." "We will continue with out investigations and there can be more arrests. This is the normal procedure in any investigation," he told reporters at the Semporna Police Station here. Six bandits armed with AK-47 assault rifles and a bazooka launcher abducted 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, one Lebanese and a Filipino on Sunday from Sipadan. Asked about the latest developments on the rescue operation, Norian said there had been no major developments. "So far as we know, there has been no success in the rescue effort and it will be sometime before a direct link is established between the government and the kidnappers," he said. Norian said police had received reports which could not be confirmed fully that the captives were now in the Southern Philippines and that they were well while the Philippines was making efforts through the Governor of the Autonomous Muslim Region in Mindanao Nur Misuari to secure their release. "Stories of some of the captives being released and so on cannot be confirmed and there is no evidence to support there has been such release," he said. "Such claims are rumours which have been picked up as (news) sources by the press and others. But no one has confirmed this matter," he said. Norian said Malaysian Police had direct contact with the Philippine authorities and were cooperating in intelligence gathering. He however refused to go into details. "We will use this channel (of cooperation) to get the hostages released," he said. Asked whether there had been any demand for ransom, Norian said so far there had been none and Malaysian police had no contact with the kidnappers and usually cases involving militants would take sometime before they set forth their demands. Norian also said there were no joint police operations to secure the release as the victims were now in the Philippines. "We have to depend a lot on their efforts...we are ready to provide any information which they may require," the IGP said. Asked about claims that police on the island resort had not been supplied with adequate weapons, Norian said such incidents did not occur every day. He said the island was an important holiday resort and police presence should be at a minimum level so as not to create a garrison impression. "After the pirate attacks in 1996 and 1997 (in the Sabah east coast) we set up the Eastern Command with the focus on the east coast and since then there has been a drastic drop in the number of such incidents," he said. |
28 April 2000, 18:32 pm - Bernama
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| LIFE NO LONGER THE SAME FOR VICTIM'S RELATIVES
SEMPORNA, April 28 (Bernama) -- Although, six days have passed since the abduction on Sipadan island near here and the situation in this eastcoast town has returned to normal, life is not the same for the relatives of the victims.
Sadness and uncertainty continue to loom over their lives as they carry on with their daily chores while waiting for the latest news of their loved ones. During a brief meeting with Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal here today, they could only shed tears thinking what their loved ones were going through in the hand of their abductors. They included Norisah Musbaniah, wife of police personnel Abdul Jawah Salawat who was abducted together with 20 others from the island resort last Sunday. During the function, Shafie who is also Member of Parliament for Semporna, handed over personal contribution to the families as a token of his sympathy. Reporters tried to get the latest development from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Norian Mai today. According to him, the captives were all safe and advised the relatives andfamilies to be patient. "As far as we know, they are all safe. I hope their families would be patient," he said. The latest report from southern Philippines also confirmed that the captives, reportedly on Jolo island, are safe. Six armed men abducted 21 people including 10 Malaysians from the island Sunday night and sped away in two boats towards the Philippine waters. |
28 April 2000, 23:04 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIA MONITORS NEGOTIATIONS TO SECURE RELEASE OF 21 CAPTIVES
KOTA TINGGI, April 28 (Bernama) -- Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said today Malaysia is monitoring the negotiations between Philippine government representatives and the Abu Sayyaf separatist group over the release of 21 people abducted from Sipadan Island by armed gunmen last Sunday.
"We have been informed that all the captives are safe and well," he told reporters after the presentation of bursaries by the Welfare Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti) at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Mas, near here. Syed Hamid said he believed that Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Nur Misuari had his own way of securing the release of all the captives comprising 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans and a Filipino and a Lebanese. Philippine President Joseph Estrada had given Misuari the mandate to negotiate for the safe release of the captives. Syed Hamid said there was no fresh development on the incident. He dismissed as speculation reports that the Malaysian hostages had been released. At the function, Syed Hamid's wife, Datin Seri Sharifah Azizah Syed Zainal Abidin presented bakti's contribution for the Kota Tinggi parliamentary constituency totalling RM6,300 to nine students of the school. |
28 April 2000, 23:29 pm - Bernama
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| IGP DESPATCHED TO THE PHILIPPINES TO HANDLE ABDUCTION CASE
KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai has been despatched to the Philippines to personally handle efforts to secure the release of 21 people, including 10 Malaysians, kidnapped from Sipadan Island off Sabah last Sunday by gunmen.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had instructed Norian to work out with his Philippine counterpart the best approach to deal with the situation. "I've instructed him to consider the best of options to secure the release of the captives," Abdullah told reporters here today. Norian, who is also spokesman for the special Malaysian committee dealing with the kidnapping, is accompanied by several other senior officers. As of yesterday, according to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) information chief Ibrahim Omar, the captives were being held in Talipao in Jolo province in southern Philippines. In last Sunday's incident, six men armed with AK-47 rifles and a bazooka kidnapped 10 Malaysians alongside three Germans, two French nationals, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese and a Filipino. Abdullah said whatever Norian and fellow crisis managers on the Philippine side discussed and agreed upon as well as their combined actions would not be publicised. He said he would leave it to the crisis managers themselves to ensure a safe and smooth end to the problem as insisted by governments of the captives concerned. Abdullah added that his instruction to Norian was that safe release of the captives should be uppermost. |
29 April 2000, 19:27 pm - Bernama
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| MISUARI PICKS MNLF MILITARY CHIEF TO PAVE WAY FOR NEGOTIATIONS
KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- The military chief of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Lt Gen Yusoff Jikiri has been picked as the personal emissary of the front's chairman Nur Misuari to pave the way for formal negotiations with the armed group responsible for the abduction of 21 people from Sipadan Island last Sunday.
An aide of Misuari who spoke to Bernama Saturday on condition of anonymity said Yusoff had already been despatched to Jolo, the provincial capital of Sulu Friday to lay the ground work. "In fact, we have been informed that Yusoff had already begun establishing contact with several senior members of the group and had even started to relay messages to Misuari," the aide said when contacted by phone in Misuari's residence in Zamboanga City. Misuari who is the Governor of the Autonomous Muslim Region in Mindanao was not available for comment because, according to the aide, he was deeply engrossed in a close door meeting over the hostage crisis with several senior Philippine military commanders and policy makers in the residence. Misuari had been appointed by President Joseph Estrada as the lead negotiator to secure the release of the hostages. According to the aide, Yusoff who is also the Deputy Commander of the Zamboanga-based South Command of the Philippine Army is the personal emissary of Misuari to establish contact with the group. Yusoff was appointed the deputy commander following the integration of several units of the MNLF into the Armed Forces of the Phillipines after MNLF signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1996. The aide could not confirm whether Misuari would go to Jolo, a two-hour fast craft ride from Zamboanga, himself or whether there would be a face to face encounter between Misuari and the kidnappers. Until then, he said, Misuari will continue to monitor and supervise the negotiation and rescue efforts from his residence or the ARMM Complex. |
03 May 2000, 12:41 pm - Bernama
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| PHILIPPINE EMBASSY TO VERIFY DEATH REPORTS
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Bernama) -- The Philippine embassy here declined to confirm or deny news reports that two of the 21 captives held by an armed group on Jolo island in southern Philippines are dead.
Ambassador Jose Brillantes said today he was still trying to verify the reports from his government. "We want to know the source of the information," he said when contacted by Bernama here. Brillantes said he had directed his staff to verify the reports from "all sides". He was commenting on news reports from Manila today that two of the kidnap victims were found dead after clashes between government troops and guerrillas. However, there has been no confirmation yet on the reports. The 21 people, including 10 Malaysians, were kidnapped by the armed group from Sipadan island off Sabah on April 23. The other captives are three Germans, two French nationals, two South Africans, two Finns, one Lebanese and a Filipina. An earlier Reuters report from Manila quoted a military spokesman as saying that no independent confirmation was available on the report that a white woman and a white man had died. The report quoted the spokesman as telling the Philippine ABS-CBN TV station that the Abu Sayyaf militant group, which was behind the kidnapping, had confirmed that two Caucasians -- a man and a woman died. The fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf is one of two Muslim groups fighting for a separate Islamic state in southern Philippines. However, Reuters in its latest report from Manila quoted Sulu Province Governor Abdusakur Tan as saying that all the 21 captives are alive. Meanwhile, Moro National Liberation Front Information Chief Ibrahim Omar when contacted by Bernama in Zamboanga in southern Philippines today said he too could not confirm reports that two of the victims were dead."We have sent someone to Jolo island to confirm," he added. |
03 May 2000, 15:00 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIA WILLING TO DEAL DIRECT WITH KIDNAPPERS
MANILA, May 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is willing to deal direct with the armed group which kidnapped 21 people from Sipadan Island off Sabah about a fortnight ago, Prime Minister's special envoy Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia said Wednesday.
He would convey this to the Philippine government during a meeting with President Joseph Estrada scheduled here later today to discuss efforts to secure the release of the captives, including 10 Malaysians. "Malaysia is prepared to extend whatever assistance to resolve the issue, including dealing direct with the abductors, besides cooperating in whatever form necessary," he said. Pandikar Amin, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, told Malaysian journalists accompanying him here for the mission, that he would also convey to Estrada Malaysia's concern over the well-being of the captives, health-wise and in terms of food and clothings. Six men armed with AK-47 rifles and a rocket launcher abducted holidaymakers and local workers from a resort on Sipadan on April 23 and Abu Sayyaf separatist guerrillas in southern Philippines have claimed responsibility. Television footages showed the captives, who are being held on Jolo Island, looking unwell, not well-fed and in dire need of fresh clothings. Pandikar Amin is also scheduled to meet Philippine Defence Secretary Orlando Mercado and Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon today. "We'll also gather from the Philippine government itself the latest on efforts to free the captives, more so given reports that some captives have died. We're unsure whether they actually died," he said. Pandikar Amin, who is accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Mohamed Shafie Apdal, arrived here yesterday evening to secure speedy release of the captives. The Malaysian delegation leaves for Zamboanga City tomorrow for a meeting with Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region governor Nur Misuari. While there Pandikar Amin is also scheduled to hand over Malaysian medical supplies to the captives. |
03 May 2000 - CNN.com
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| TWO HOSTAGES REPORTED KILLED IN PHILIPPINES ARMY CLASH WITH REBELSMay 3, 2000 Web posted at: 9:59 a.m. HKT (0159 GMT) JOLO ISLAND, Philippines (CNN) -- Muslim extremists holding 21 hostages in the southern Philippines told local radio Wednesday that two hostages died during a battle between rebels and government forces.
The claim could not be independently confirmed, but the government said they are checking into the report.
A rebel spokesman early Wednesday called local radio, asking for a doctor -- but later called back, claiming two hostages were dead.
CNN Correspondent Maria Ressa said the spokesman claimed one white male died of a stray gunshot wound during the firefight and that a white female died of a heart attack.
A rebel leader Tuesday had threatened to behead two of the captives. The hostage takers are members of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim separatist group.
The fighting between the rebels and government forces intensified throughout the day Tuesday and continued early Wednesday. At least one government soldier was killed during the fighting, military officials said.
Government officials said it is no secret where the hostages are being kept -- in a bamboo hut in Talipao on Jolo. The military had brought in 400 to 500 security forces to try to secure the area and prevent anyone from entering or leaving Tuesday.
The group of 21 hostages includes 10 tourists from Germany, France, South Africa, Finland and Lebanon. The remaining hostages are said to be resort workers from the Philippines and Malaysia.
The hostages were kidnapped Easter Sunday on the Malaysian island of Sipadan, a noted diving resort. They were shown in videotape shot over the weekend huddled in a small bamboo hut.
The Abu Sayyaf group is seeking to form an Islamic state in the southern Philippines.
Troops have ringed the camp where the hostages are being kept and the high tension has led to sporadic exchanges of fire with the rebels. But Tuesday's shootout was the first time there were casualties.
A caller to a local radio station who claimed to be one of the gunmen holding the hostages has threatened to behead two of the captives unless the troops are pulled back.
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04 May 2000, 12.07 pm - Bernama
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| PANDIKAR AMIN ARRIVES IN MINDANAO
ZAMBOANGA, May 4 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia arrived here from Manila Thursday to continue monitoring efforts to secure the release of 21 people abducted from Sipadan Island off Sabah by gunmen a fortnight ago.
He was met at the airport here by Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region governor Nur Misuari and then proceeded to the Southern Command Headquarters of the Philippine Armed Forces for a briefing. Also in the Malaysian delegation are Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal, Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Mohamed Arshad M.Hussain and Chief of Defence Forces Tan Sri Mohamed Zahidi Zainuddin. South African High Commissioner to Malaysia Lindiwe Mabuza is also in the entourage. Yesterday, Pandikar Amin called on Philippine President Joseph Estrada at Malacanang Palace in Manila and met Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon and Defence Secretary Orlando Mercado. Pandikar Amin arrived in Manila on Tuesday with food and medical supplies for the captives now being held on Jolo island in southern Philippines. Malaysia has expressed hope for a peaceful and safe release of the 21 people, including 10 Malaysians and two South Africans. |
04 May 2000 - Reuters
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| THE GREAT ESCAPE?REPORT: TWO MEN GET AWAY FROM PHILIPPINE REBELS
J O L O, Philippines, May 4 — Two white men among 21 mostly foreign hostages held by Philippine Muslim rebels escaped from their captors, local radio reported today.
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado told Reuters he could not immediately confirm the report on DZMM radio, which said the two hostages escaped yesterday before noon and guerrillas searching for the pair clashed with troops.
Mortar FireDZMM said it received word of the escape from “informants” but did not elaborate. The identity of the hostages and their present whereabouts were not known. The 21 hostages, brought to Jolo island after they were kidnapped on Easter Sunday from a Malaysian resort by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, were 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two South Africans, two Finns, one Lebanese and a Filipina. Military officers near the hostage site on Jolo island in the southern Philippines said troops returned guerrilla fire during the night, and one officer said the rebels moved their captives to another hideout to escape the shooting. They had no information on any escape. A Reuters photographer in the area said troops fired mortars every 30 minutes throughout the night but a senior military officer said there was no danger to the hostages. “We controlled our firing so that we won’t hit the house where the hostages are,” said a frontline colonel. DZMM station is run by ABS-CBN TV network, which reported yesterday that two foreign hostages were dead. The government said however all 21 hostages were alive and its chief negotiator later said at least two hostages were wounded in clashes. Jolo, 600 miles south of Manila, is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, one of two groups fighting for an Islamic state in the mostly Catholic country. In a separate hostage drama on nearby Basilan, Philippine troops stepped up their search for about 10 Filipino hostages, including children, after Abu Sayyaf rebels holding a group of 27 for the past 45 days killed four of their captives a day earlier. “About 10 are still unaccounted for... they were split into two groups,” General Diomedio Villanueva, commanding officer for the southern military command, said on local radio. “As of now there is no fighting, they’re (troops) just searching the environment,” Villanueva said. Villanueva said a priest and three other Filipino hostages were killed and five, including children, were wounded on yesterday when Philippine troops surprised the rebels. |
04 May 2000, 14:12 pm - Bernama
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| NEGOTIATORS TRYING TO RE-ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH KIDNAPPERS
ZAMBOANGA CITY, May 4 (Bernama) -- The Philippine government chief negotiator Nur Misuari said he is trying to re-establish contact with kidnappers of the 21 people of various nationalities from Malaysia's Sipadan Island last fortnight.
He said contact with the abductors, who were then holed up on Jolo island in southern Philippines, was interrupted following clashes between the group and government forces. Misuari, who is governor ot Muslim Mindanao Autonomous Region, was speaking at a luncheon in honour of a Malaysian delegation visiting the city Thursday. While the present whereabouts of the captives could not be ascertained at the moment, Misuari said re-establishing contact with their kidnappers was vital to facilitate formal talks with them. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia is leading the Malaysian delegation to continue monitoring efforts from here to secure the release of the captives. Misuari said his emissary Abdul Rahman Jamsali, who is in Jolo Island at the moment, would try to re-establish personal contact with the kidnappers believed to be holding up their captives in the mountains there. He said Abdul Rahman had also been instructed to check the latest information and the kidnappers' demands. Ten of the captives are Malaysians and the rest include Germans, South Africans, Finns and French nationals. Accompanying Pandikar Amin are Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal, Malaysian ambassador to the Philippines Mohamed Arshad M.Hussain, Chief of Defence Forces Tan Sri Mohamed Zahidi Zainuddin and South Africa's High Commissioner to Malaysia Lindiwe Mabuza. |
04 May 2000, 18:35 pm - Bernama
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| M'SIA PREFERS NEGOTIATIONS IN SECURING SIPADAN CAPTIVES' RELEASE
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has always given priority to negotiations in efforts to secure the release of the 21 people abducted by gunmen from Sipadan Island on April 23, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on thursday.
Abdullah, who is also the Home Minister, said the use of force to free captives could sometimes aggravate the situation. "I hope our minister and deputy minister will present Malaysia's views (to the Philippine government) on matters pertaining to the abduction," he told reporters after launching a book at the Institute of Islamic Understanding, Malaysia (Ikim). Abdullah was asked if Kuala Lumpur was agreeable to a military solution or preferred the negotiation approach in trying to secure the release of the 10 Malaysians and 11 foreigners who are currently held in southern Philippines. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia and Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal left for the Philippines on Tuesday to monitor the efforts to free the captives. Pandikan Amin, who went there as the prime minister's special envoy, met Philippine President Joseph Estrada yesterday and was given the assurance that the efforts taken were peaceful and in the form of negotiations. Abdullah said Malaysia wants to cooperate with the Philippines in securing the captives' release and does not wish to create difficulties. "We know that the Philippines too faces pressures and problems. It is not an easy matter to handle this issue," he said. Abdullah said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai, who is scheduled to return home from Manila later on thursday, is expected to brief him on the latest situation. "I hope to meet him to get information from his own mouth," he added. |
05 May 2000, 10:29 am - Bernama
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| ESTRADA ASSURES M'SIA IT WILL STOP USE OF FORCE TO END HOSTAGES CRISIS
KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir said on thursday that Philippine President Joseph Estrada has assured the Malaysian government that it would not continue with the military action against the group that abducted 21 people from Sipadan Island on April 23.
The prime minister said Estrada had given an assurance that his government would do its best to secure the release of the captives and not jeopardise their safety. "They were receptive when they met our representative. President Estrada gave an assurance that they will do their best and that they will not intensify or continue with the military action that they have taken." He told reporters this when asked to comment on the Philippine government's reaction to Malaysia's suggestion that the hostage crisis be resolved as soon as possible through negotiations. The kidnappers and the Philippine military were engaged in a gunbattle in Jolo Island in the southern Philippines last Monday. Malaysia and several other countries whose nationals are among the hostages have urged the Philippines to avoid using force but to resolve the hostage crisis through negotiation. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia had been sent to the Philippines as the prime minister's special envoy to monitor efforts to secure the release of the captives. |
05 May 2000, 10:32 am - Bernama
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| ALL 21 HOSTAGES ACCOUNTED FOR, SAYS PANDIKAR
KOTA KINABALU, May 5 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia said on thursday that all the 21 hostages abducted from Sipadan Island on April 23 had been accounted for, contrary to a report yesterday that two had died.
He said the Philippine government's chief negotiator Prof Nur Misuari in his briefing in Zamboanga told them that all the hostages were safe. "Just immediately after the briefing, a note was passed to him (Misuari) saying that the 21 have been accounted for and all alive, contrary to reports that two had died and two had managed to escape," he said. Pandikar, who is the prime minister's special envoy to monitor efforts to secure the release of the captives, was speaking to reporters at the old terminal of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here during a brief stop-over from Zamboanga enroute to Kuala Lumpur. He hoped that family members of the hostages would be patient as the government was doing all it could to find solution to the crisis. Asked whether his mission was successful, he said: "I think it is. We have delivered the stand of the nations and I am also told that as far as the Philippine government is concerned, the stand is the same as ours, and that is for the hostages to be freed soon and safely." He also expressed confident Prof Nur Misuari's ability to handle the crisis which entered its 12th day on thursday. "...to use his own words, he said if he thinks that he cannot pull through this negotiation, for any reason at all, he will not stake his reputation and accept that role as the chief negotiator," said Pandikar. |
06 May 2000, 12:30 pm HKT - CNN.com
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| CONTACT RESUMES AFTER FIGHT
Contacts between the kidnappers and negotiators were cut this week after government troops encircled the area where the hostages were being held in a bamboo hut. A series of clashes erupted on Tuesday and Wednesday as the rebels tried to escape.
The rebels were able to break through the military cordon and were holding their hostages at a single location outside the area, said several villagers in touch with the negotiators.
The negotiators have resumed contacts with the Abu Sayyaf rebels, said the villagers, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But a man identifying himself in a radio interview on Friday as one of the gunmen repeated a threat to kill two of the captives if the military did not stop attacking the guerrilla group.
On Wednesday, the rebels claimed two of the foreign hostages had died, one from a stray bullet and one of a heart attack. Government officials have said those claims were unconfirmed, and troops who seized the bamboo hut said they found no bodies or bloodstains.
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06 May 2000, 12:30 pm HKT - CNN.com
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| AFRICAN DIPLOMAT SAYS PHILIPPINE HOSTAGES ARE ALIVE
JOLO, Philippines -- Two days after Muslim rebels holed up on this island said two of their hostages had died, a go-between has said that all 21 of the captives are alive and will not be killed.
"They told an intermediary that such action will only undermine their cause," said Jerry Matsila, South Africa's deputy foreign affairs director-general, according to a report from the South African Press Association.
Matsila said South African High Commissioner to Malaysia Lindiwe Mabuza had on Thursday met the man acting as intermediary between the Muslim captors and Filipino chief negotiator Nar Misauri.
Matsila did not name the go-between but said he had told Mabuza the abductors had promised not to harm the group of hostages.
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06 May 2000, 12:14 pm - Bernama
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| PHILIPPINE ARMY GIVING TIME TO NEGOTIATORS TO RESOLVE KIDNAP CRISIS
ZAMBOANGA CITY, May 6 (Bernama) -- The Philippine armed forces said today that they are giving time for the negotiators and kidnappers of the 21 hostages on Sipadan Island to come up with any positive development.
Its southern command spokesman, Col Hilario Atentido, told reporters here that the army was concerned over the safety of the hostages abducted from the Malaysian diving resort on April 23. "We still have orders not to attack where the hostages are being held. Our main conern here is their safety. So we can't just launch military operations against them (the kidnappers). "We are giving time for the negotiators to do their thing...but we are preparing for any eventuality," he said. |
06 May 2000, 13:07 pm - Bernama
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| DO NOT WITHHOLD INFORMATION ON PIRATES, SABAH FOLKS TOLD
SEMPORNA, Sabah, May 6 (Bernama) -- A Sabah Minister Saturday urged the people particularly islanders to report straight to the police any activity that can endanger safety and security.
Such information was vital to enable the security forces to ward off any threat in the state's coastal waters, State Rural and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran said. "Our security forces are indeed trained and ever vigilant to any form of threat including pirate attacks," he said when launching the Maal Hirjah celebrations at Semporna District level here. Nasir said the Pulau Sipadan kidnap incident was a lesson to all and hence the people should cooperate with the security forces to prevent such incidents. On April 23, a group of gunmen kidnapped 21 people including 11 foreigners from Pulau Sipadan. Nasir also appealed to the families of the kidnap victims to be patient and hoped all the people now being held captives would be freed. Nasir, who is the assemblyman for Senallang, urged Muslims to change their old outlook to keep up with the times and challenges of the new millennium. |
07 May 2000, 13:35 pm - Bernama
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| MAHATHIR: NEGATIVE REPORTS ON RESCUE EFFORT WILL CREATE PROBLEMS
KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad Sunday advised the foreign media against playing up religious sentiments when reporting on efforts by the Philippine authorities to secure the release of 21 people held captive by an armed group in the southern Philippines.
The prime minister said that if the foreign media made any attempt to highlight such sentiments in their reports, it would dampen any efforts on the part of the Philippine authorities. "It (using religious sentiments) will create problem for everybody... It will stiffen the back of the group responsible and when people are pushed to a corner, the tendency is that they will turn around and fight," he told reporters after attending the Kuala Lumpur Thomas/Uber Cup Run 2000, at Merdeka Square, here. Dr Mahathir said this when asked whether attempts by the foreign media in highlighting religious sentiments in their reports would dampen efforts to rescue the victims who included nine Malaysians. Yesterday, the local television stations aired footage taken by the foreign media which showed interviews with a mayor, a priest and family members of a Philippine soldier who died in a clash with the group responsible for the kidnapping. During the interviews, they were quoted as saying that should anything happen to the victims, the Muslims in Mindanao should be held responsible and that the armed group should be eradicated. The nine Malaysians and 12 foreigners were kidnapped by six gunmen in Sipadan Island on April 23 and are now being held in a hideout of the Abu Sayyaf separatist group in Jolo Island in the southern Philippines. The foreigners comprised three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, two French, two Filipinos and a Lebanese. Dr Mahathir said it was to be expected of the foreign media to raise such sentiments. He said they had not been responsible and had not thought about the safety of the victims when carrying out their duties. "This is something that will feed their agenda for the region and Malaysia in particular and Muslims in general," Dr Mahathir said. The prime minister said the local and foreign media should play a positive role by ensuring that their reports took into account the safety of the victims. He added that they must avoid making any reports that could jeopardise any efforts to secure their release. |
10 May 2000, 11:34 am - Bernama
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| KIDNAPPERS READY TO TALK: CHIEF EMISSARY
JOLO, Philippines, May 10 (Bernama) -- The armed group which is holding 21 people, including nine Malaysians here after kidnapping them from Sipadan island on April 23 have sent word that they are ready to meet with the negotiating team anytime Wednesday.
Chief government emissary Ibrahim Ghazali told reporters this at the residence of the Sulu Governor here. "We will ask them what they want and we will ask them if possible to release the sick German woman," he said, referring to Renate Wallert, who is suffering from hypertension. Ibrahim also said the negotiating team would request to see all the victims -- nine Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, two Filipinos and one Lebanese. He said he was informed by the Philippine chief negotiator Nur Misuari last night that Malaysian doctors would be arriving in Zamboanga today. Meanwhile, the provincial health officer Dr Nelsa Amin told reporters she would try to free Wallert as well as a French citizen who is also suffering from serious health problem from their abductors. She would bring along oxygen tanks, food rations, assorted medicine and surgical equipment in case some of the victims suffered from trauma. A surgeon and members of the Philippine Red Cross would also accompany her. Asked what would happen if she could not get the sick victims out, she said: "I will be down hearted because I know she (Wallert) is in a very critical situation and we should pity the patient." |
11 May 2000, 14:29 pm - Bernama
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| MALAYSIAN DOCTORS TO THE RESCUE OF KIDNAP VICTIMS
JOLO, the Philippines, May 11 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Red Crescent Society Thursday flew in medical supplies meant for the 21 people held captive by an armed group in this southern Philippine island.
A Royal Malaysian Air Force CN25 aircraft airlifting the supplies from Kota Kinabalu touched down at the Jolo airport here at 11.30am today. The consignment arrived with three Malaysian doctors and a medical assistant namely Datuk Dr Bahari Abu Mansor, Dr Imran Abdul Khalid, Dr Mohamed Azmi Yusoff and Nik Azhar Nik Abdul Rahman. The deputy chief of the Malaysian diplomatic mission in Manila, Badruddin Abdul Rahman received them at the airport. Interviewed by reporters, Dr Bahari, who is team leader, said: "We are here on humanitarian ground and to us the health of the hostages is of utmost importance." "Our main priority is to treat all hostages and if possible, make sure that those who are sick are released," he said. Two of the victims were reportedly sick, one suffering from hypertension and the other,from urinary tract infection. The nine Malaysians and 12 foreigners were kidnapped by six gunmen in Sipadan Island on April 23 and are now being held in a hideout of the Abu Sayyaf separatist group here. The foreigners comprised three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, two French nationals, two Filipinos and a Lebanese. Dr Bahari said the team would be working hand-in-hand with the Philippine Red Cross and expressed the hope that team members would be allowed to meet the hostages soon. He said he brought with him medication for high blood pressure and water-borne diseases. |
11 May 2000 - Associated Press
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| ARMY PULLS BACK FROM HOSTAGE SITEBy AARON FAVILA, Associated Press Writer
JOLO, Philippines (AP) - Hoping to bring some comfort, foreign envoys read letters from home over the radio Wednesday to hostages held by Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines.
``It is starting to get cold here,'' the family of South Africans Callie and Monique Strydom, wrote in a letter read by a Finnish envoy. ``All your friends send their love and good wishes. You are in the thoughts of all South Africans.''
There is hope the rebels will eventually allow their captives to receive the actual letters, but in the meantime, diplomats read them over DXRZ radio, a station often monitored by the rebels.
``Please remember that we will not neglect any possibility to help you,'' said a letter from the French ambassador. ``We will be satisfied only when you are back among us. Good luck and be brave.''
The Philippine military pulled back its troops Wednesday to open the way for negotiations with Muslim separatists holding 21 Western and Asian hostages, and the rebels are expected to present their demands later this week, officials said.
The Abu Sayyaf guerrillas promised to respond Thursday to a Libyan envoy's request that they free two ailing captives, although one rebel leader repeated late Wednesday that they don't believe a German woman is seriously ill.
Libyan envoy Abdul Rajab Azzarouq, who hiked along muddy jungle trails on Wednesday to reach the rebel camp, said the rebels have no ransom demands ``at the moment,'' but have made political demands which he cannot discuss.
The negotiators expect to receive specific demands for the hostages' freedom within 24 to 48 hours, he added. Then talks can begin in earnest.
Troops pulled back from their positions around the rebels' mountain camp on Wednesday, down to a road along the base of the mountain on remote Jolo island in the southern Philippines, army Lt. Abe Sarajian said. The rebels have clashed repeatedly with soldiers surrounding their hide-out and hostages have begged for a halt.
The hostages - three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos - were kidnapped from the island of Sipadan on April 23 and taken to Jolo, an hour's boat ride away.
They are held by the Abu Sayyaf, the smaller and more extreme of two Muslim rebel groups active here. The Abu Sayyaf are also holding in nearby Basilan province a separate group of Filipino hostages seized from two schools. After clashes, killings and rescues, approximately eight people, mostly children, are thought to remain in their hands.
Meanwhile, Javier Solana, the European Union's top diplomat, left Manila on Wednesday after a 24-hour visit during which he received President Joseph Estrada's promise to assure the hostages' safety and delivered humanitarian aid for the hostages.
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15 May 2000; 16:30 pm - Bernama
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| PHILIPPINE SENIOR OFFICIAL LAMBASTED FOREIGN MEDIA FOR UNFAIR REPORT
KOTA KINABALU, May 15 (Bernama) -- A Philippine senior official said Monday that the Sipadan hostage-taking incident by a rebel group based in the southern Philippines has been "magnified too much" by some international media.
He , giving the impression of instability in the whole southern region of the country. Chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Coucil, Sebastian L. Angliongto said that it gave an impression of instability in the whole southern region of his country. Angliongto said the action by the Abu Sayyaf was merely for money. "Kidnap for money happened in the other parts of the world...it is just that it happened in our side but now it is just a question of time it will be back to normal," he told reporters after presenting a working paper at an international business conference, here. On April 23, six men armed with AK-47 rifles and a bazooka launcher abducted 21 people from the Sipadan diving resort and sped off in two boats towards the Philippine waters. The captives comprise nine Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, two Filipinos and a Labenese. They are now held in a jungle hideout on Jolo island in the southern Philippines. Anglionto, who is also the Philippine senior official for the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), said the situation in the southern Philippines especially in Mindanao was under control and as such, the incident would not affect the future of the growth triangle. "The incident in Sipadan is very unfortunate...the hostages are brought to a certain area which does not even consist of 1 per cent of the total area of Mindanao, but they used the term Mindanao and this is very unfair because majority of the area is stable," he said. Asked about the latest development on the incident, he said: "In a hostage situation, it is not easy to handle because what is at stake are the lives of the hostages. "If not because of the lives of the hostages, I think our police could have wiped them (kidnappers) out. "It is so unpredictable but what our forces had done was to cordon the area. May be in the course of time, they (the kidnappers) may run out of food." When asked to comment on the motive of the kidnapping, he said: "I don't think it has a political issue. It is more of money consideration but they (the kidnappers) are now in a very difficult situation because they are being cordoned". |
06 June 2000; 13:07 pm - Bernama-DPA
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| PHILIPPINE NEGOTIATORS MOVE TO RESUME TALKS WITH ABU SAYYAF
JOLO, (Philippines), June 6 (Bernama-DPA) - Philippine negotiators on Tuesday worked to appease Islamic separatists holding 21 hostages of seven nations in a bid to resume talks aimed at peacefully ending the 45-day standoff amid threats of a military rescue.
The Abu Sayyaf separatists have insisted on the "partial compliance" of a demand to ban commercial fishing off the seas of Jolo island, Sulu province, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, before they return to the negotiating table. Chief government negotiator Roberto Aventajado was scheduled to meet with fishing vessel operators in nearby Zamboanga City to discuss the implementation of a law prohibiting large-scale fishing 15 kilometres off the shoreline. "The resumption of the talks with the Abu Sayyaf will depend on the results of the meeting," said Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, a member of the five-man negotiating panel. "We expect full cooperation from the fishing boat operators." Tan said Aventajado will fly into Jolo island on Wednesday "if we get the right results" from the meeting. Aventajado has already won the commitment of Manila-based fishermen to follow the rule on commercial fishing. The negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf have made little headway since Aventajado's team held a first round of talks with four Abu Sayyaf leaders on May 27. The slow progress has triggered criticisms from impatient captives and foreign governments. On Monday, Aventajado warned the Philippine government may opt to launch a military rescue to end the 45-day hostage crisis if the rebels become "very unreasonable" with their demands. The threat came as the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas submitted new demands in the form of counter proposals to the government's rejection of their demand for an independent Islamic state. Tan has refused to reveal the new demands, which are contained in a letter to Aventajado, but told reporters on Monday, "From the way I look at it, the Abu Sayyaf has the intention to shorten the stay of the hostages." The separatists are holding captive three Germans, two French nationals, two Finns, a South African couple, a Lebanese woman, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos. The victims were abducted from the Malaysian diving island of Sipadan on April 23.--Bernama-DPA |
09 June 2000; 17:29 GMT -CNN.com
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| PHILIPPINES GIVES REBELS EMPHATIC 'NO' TO MUSLIM HOMELAND
JOLO, Philippines -- Prospects of freedom for 21 hostages held on a remote Philippines island by Muslim rebels seemed bleak on Thursday after government negotiators said they would not give in to the rebels.
"If they insist on their original demand (a Muslim homeland), that would be a deal-breaker," said chief government negotiator Roberto Aventajado. "We want to clarify their position. We will look for a common ground."
The rebels and government negotiators have had but one formal session since Abu Sayyaf rebels seized the hostages -- most of them tourists -- at a Malaysian resort on April 23.
Abu Sayyaf is the smaller of two Muslim groups -- the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is the other -- battling for an independent homeland, a demand the rebels have said they will never abandon.
Sulu governor Abdusakur Tan, another government negotiator, repeated Aventajado's warnings that the Philippines would not agree to that demand.
"We will wait for them until they get tired and give in," he said.
The Philippines government has continuously insisted it wants a peaceful end to the crisis. It has said it has no plans to send the military into the Jolo island jungle where the hostages are being held.
'Mentally it's been hard'
Nearly seven weeks into their captivity, the hostages said their living conditions had improved with the addition of a hut and the arrival of more supplies. But they said they are growing more impatient with the Philippine government's failure to secure their release.
"Mentally it's been hard because we have been hearing rumors and the news and so on," said Finnish hostage Risto Vahenen.
Lebanese hostage Marie Moarbes said she hopes to be released soon.
German captive in severe pain
The government has focused on obtaining the release of at least four hostages who doctors say need hospitalization.
A medical team that visited the hostages last weekend reported that South African Monique Strydom was pregnant and needed tests; Frenchman Stephane Loisy was emotionally disturbed; Malaysian Zulkarnai bin Hashim had been bitten by scorpions; and German housewife Renate Wallert was in severe pain and suffering from high blood pressure.
"We have been kept as hostages for such a long time, creating mental problems definitely and physical problems, too," Wallert's husband, Warner, said. "Twenty of us, I think, can cope with the situation. My wife cannot."
"She is still an urgent case," he said.
Formal talks are set to resume on Saturday. Negotiators are to attend an informal meeting with a rebel leader known as Commander Robot on Friday.
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09 June 2000; 09:50 am SGT -AFP
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| PHILIPPINE NEGOTIATOR DISMISSES NEW DEMAND BY HOSTAGE TAKER
JOLO, Philippines, June 9 (AFP) -
A key negotiator on Friday dismissed a new demand by Philippine Muslim extremists holding 21 mostly foreign hostages here to add three more people to the government negotiating team.
Abdusakur Tan, the governor of Sulu province which covers Jolo island where the hostages are being held, said he had sent an emissary overnight to verify reports that the Abu Sayyaf militants had made a new demand.
"I told them that they are so confusing. I told them it's only the president who appoints (negotiators). We will not consider that (new demand)," Tan said in a radio interview.
Galib Andang, one of five leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, told reporters who had joined a food convoy to the rebel hideout Thursday they wanted a retired police general, a university professor and a third person included in the government panel.
The current team headed by senior presidential aide Roberto Aventajado includes Tan, former Libyan envoy to Manila Raja Azzarouq, peace campaigner Parouk Hussin and Islamic scholar Ibrahim Ghazali.
Tan said Friday that another rebel leader Mujib Susukan told his emissary to ignore the new demand.
"I sent an emissary last night to ask if they are serious in their new demand because it seems that it's becoming more confusing. Mujib said 'ignore that'".
Tan said he was unsure when negotiations would resume for the freedom of the three Germans, a French couple, a Finnish couple, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos.
The European vacationers and the Asians were abducted on April 23 from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan and brought across the sea border to the Abu Sayyaf sanctuary on Jolo island in the southern Philippines.
Government negotiators held their first and only face-to-face meeting with the kidnap leaders 13 days ago, althoug hcontact through emissaries were kept open.
The government gave in to one of the rebels' demands to ban large commercial fleets from the waters around Jolo, but rejected two other conditions, including the establishment of an independent Islamic state.
Negotiators have publicly denied any demands for ransom, but one emissary said the Abu Sayyaf was seeking 21 million dollars for the freedom of all the hostages.
Almost all previous Abu Sayyaf kidnap victims have paid ransom, euphemistically called "board and lodging" fee, according to relatives as well as police, military and local officials.
The Abu Sayyaf is the smaller of two groups fighting for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines.
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10 June 2000 -AP
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| PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT TROOPS CLOSE HIGHWAY AFTER REBEL AMBUSH
COTABATO, Philippines (AP)--Hundreds of travelers were stranded early Friday after government troops closed a major road in the southern Philippines following a Muslim rebel ambush of an army patrol, a military commander said.
One local resident was killed and three soldiers were wounded.
Separatist guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, fired rocket-propelled grenades at a platoon of soldiers patrolling the road in Pikit, North Cotabato province, said Col. Hermogenes Esperon, commander of the army's 602nd Infantry Brigade.
The ambush triggered a running gunbattle with about 100 MILF guerrillas along a 15-kilometer stretch of the road linking Cotabato City to Davao City, the largest urban center in the southern Mindanao region.
Soldiers stopped about 300 vehicles from passing through the road to prevent them from being caught in the crossfire, Esperon said.
He said he expected the road would be cleared of rebels and reopened later in the day.
In nearby Midsayap town, suspected MILF rebels also attempted to blow up a 20-meter concrete bridge before dawn Friday, Esperon said.
Esperon said one of five bombs planted under the bridge exploded, causing slight damage, but didn't set off the other four, which could have destroyed the bridge. No one was injured.
At least 184 government soldiers and militiamen have been killed since January, the most serious fighting in the southern Mindanao region since the 1970s.
The MILF is the larger of two groups fighting for an independent Islamic state. The smaller but more radical group, the Abu Sayyaf, is holding 21 mostly foreign hostages on southern Jolo island.
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10 June 2000 -Channel NewsAsia
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| PHILIPPINE MILITARY TIGHTENS SECURITY AFTER CHEMICAL DISCOVERY
The Philippine military have tightened security in the southern port city of Zamboanga after troops intercepted a load of chemicals used by Muslim rebels in making explosives.
The military's southern command Chief of Staff, Colobel Ernesto de Guzman, said some 25 kilogrammes of ammonium nitrate was seized on board a ferry travelling to Basilan Island.
Basilan Island is a base of the extremist Abu Sayyaf rebel group, which is holding eight people hostage there.
Ammonium nitrate is often used by both the Abu Sayyaf and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front to make bombs used in attacking targets in the country.
No one has been arrested so far.
Colonel de Guzman said extra precaution had also been taken in Zamboanga and nearby provinces, against bomb attacks by both rebel groups.
Extra soldiers have also been deployed at the city's wharf, and an army special unit is to escort ferries crossing over to Basilan.
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11 June 2000 -Manila Times
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| INTRAMURALS IN SAYYAF IMPERIL HOSTAGES' LIVESBy Faber Concepcion
Deepening rifts within the Abu Sayyaf leadership jeopardize the lives of 21 Asian and western hostages in Talipao, Sulu, military officials said yesterday as government negotiators expressed concern over rebels’ decision to split their captives into two groups.
While rebels had pledged to resume negotiations yesterday, they threw a major wrench into release efforts by demanding the ouster of government chief negotiator Robert Aventajado. They also asked for the inclusion of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani in the negotiations.
Mujid Susukan, Dr. Abu Jundail and Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot said they would not sit down for talks until Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora replaces Aventajado, President Estrada’s flagship adviser.
They scored Aventajado for issuing “irresponsible statements” about a possible military rescue should rebels prove intractable in talks.
The Abu Sayyaf also reiterated they are sticking to their original demand for the establishment of an independent Islamic state.
Military officials confirmed Janjalani remains strong and alert.
He escaped the military’s dragnet in Basilan province, bringing six Filipino hostages, they added. There was no reason given for a missing Basilan hostage. ¨
--with a report from AP |
12 June 2000 - Borneo Bulletin
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| CHIEF NEGOTIATOR SAYS HE IS WILLING TO STEP DOWN
JOLO, Philippines (AFP) - Chief Philippine hostage negotiator Roberto Aventajado said on Sunday he was willing to step down after Muslim rebels holding 21 mostly foreign hostages on this southern island demanded his removal.
Aventajado and other members of the government negotiating panel flew back to the capital, Manila, on Sunday without making any clear headway into the hostage crisis, which has entered its eighth week.
"We are currently analysing the situation, but the important thing with me is the safety and the lives of the 21 hostages and (if) my being out of the picture would have the ability to save the lives of the captives then I am willing to step down as head of the government negotiating team," Aventajado said in a telephone interview.
He said, however, that the "final decision is with the president."
Aventajado's statement came after he flew in from from Zamboanga city, where he earlier had a brief meeting with other members of the negotiating panel.
The meeting was prompted by the Abu Sayyaf's demand on Saturday for Aventajado to be replaced by President Joseph Estrada's chief aide after remarks that the government was not ruling out a military option to solve the crisis.
Shortly after arriving in Manila, Aventajado and the team immediately engaged senior security officials in a meeting.
One of the negotiators, former Libyan envoy to Manila Rajab Azzarouq, told reporters that re-establishing contacts with the rebels "will take some time".
Asked when the next round of negotiations would take place, Azzarouq said the government would first "review the situation" before making any decisions.
He added that he did not have "any idea whatsoever" who would take Aventajado's role should the president decide to replace him.
Earlier Sunday, Sulu police chief Superintendent Candido Casimiro said maritime police, the navy and the coast-guard were put on full alert to block any attempt by the Abu Sayyaf to move the hostages to another island.
In a statement on Saturday, the Abu Sayyaf said they wanted Aventajado replaced by President Estrada's chief aide, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora.
The group said it "shall talk only" with Zamora and the three other members of the government panel.
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12 June 2000 - Borneo Bulletin
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| NEW LOCATION OF HOSTAGES SPOTTED JOLO, Philippines (AP) - Muslim rebels holding 21 people in a remote Philippine jungle have moved their Caucasian hostages first to an area of dense mangroves and then to a watershed not far from their original location, police said on Sunday. On Friday, the Abu Sayyaf rebels divided their hostages into two groups - one of Caucasians and other of Asians - because of fears of a possible military rescue attempt. The Asians remained at the rebels' mountain camp, but the 10 Caucasians were taken several kilometres away to another rebel-controlled area surrounded by mangroves, police said.
They were then brought back to Tiis Kuttung, a mountainous watershed about one kilometre from the other hostages, provincial police chief Candido Casimiro said.
On Saturday, the rebels also announced they will no longer talk with the chief government negotiator, Robert Aventajado, after he suggested the government might consider a military rescue if negotiations over the release of the hostages break down.
The Abu Sayyaf warned that the lives of the hostages "will be exposed to extreme risks" if any rescue operation is launched.
Aventajado claimed his comment was taken out of context.
"The government panel does not consider, much less endorse, an armed response to the hostage crisis," he said.
The Abu Sayyaf are holding three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos. The hostages were seized April 23 from a diving resort and brought to Jolo, an island at the southern tip of the Philippines.
Government negotiators said the recent developments were another setback to hopes for the hostages' release.
In two days of talks on Friday and Saturday, the rebels refused to abandon their demand for an independent Islamic nation, the negotiators said.
The government has repeatedly ruled out any breakup of the Philippines.
The seven weeks of captivity in the jungle at the hands of the extremist rebels have been traumatic for the hostages, whose psychological state has deteriorated.
Several of the hostages have threatened suicide, and a government doctor has urged that one, Stephane Loisy of France, be hospitalised because of psychological distress.
President Joseph Estrada has ordered the negotiators to make substantial progress by Monday, Philippine Independence Day.
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 neighbouring Malaysia. They are also expected to demand a large ransom at a later time.
The Abu Sayyaf are the smaller but more extreme of two rebel groups fighting for an independent Islamic state in the impoverished southern Philippines.
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12 June 2000 -Manila Times
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| ABUS ASK $15M FOR HOSTAGES
THE Jolo-based band of Abu Sayyaf terrorists has reduced to $15 million its ransom demand for the release of all the 21 mostly foreign hostages it kidnapped from a Malaysian dive resort more than a month ago.
The bandits had earlier demanded $20 million or almost $1 million for each of their captives—10 Caucasians and 11 Asians, including two Filipinos.
It was also learned that Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani will henceforth join negotiations for the hostages’ release.
The group’s spokesman, Abu Sabaya, had earlier confirmed the terrorists demanded $20 million for the hostages, in addition to their political demands.
He later said that leaders of the band have agreed to reduce the ransom to $15 million, plus some concessions.
The terrorists on Saturday split their captives into two groups because of fears of a possible military rescue attempt, government negotiators said.
They also announced they will no longer talk to the chief government negotiator, Roberto Aventajado, after he suggested that the government might consider a military rescue if negotiations over the release of the hostages break down.
“We strongly condemn him for such irresponsible statements,” the Abu Sayyaf leaders said in a statement.
The rebels moved 10 Caucasian hostages to a new, unknown location, said Abdul Rajab Azzarouq, a Libyan envoy who is also a government negotiator. The remaining Asian captives are still being held at a jungle camp where the government recently built a wooden shed for the hostages’ protection, he said.
German Embassy officials called the situation bad and said it could endanger the hostages’ security.
The Abu Sayyaf warned that the lives of the hostages “will be exposed to extreme risks” if any rescue operation is launched.
Aventajado claimed his comment was taken out of context.
“The government panel does not consider, much less endorse, an armed response to the hostage crisis,” he said Saturday.
The Abu Sayyaf are holding three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos.
The developments appeared to be a considerable setback to hopes for the hostages’ release.
“We have to start again from the beginning,” said Farouk Hussein, another government negotiator. “This is a very sad development.”
Nevertheless, Hussein and Azzarouq headed back Saturday to a village mosque guarded by hundreds of rebels for a second day of talks with guerrilla leaders.
“The talks are going on, but it’s a tough one,” Azzarouq said after their return. The negotiators later flew to nearby Zamboanga to consult with Aventajado, who did not attend the two days of talks.
During the talks, the guerrillas refused to abandon their demand for an independent Islamic nation, Azzarouq said.
The government has repeatedly ruled out any breakup of the Philippines.
The hostages were seized April 23 from a Malaysian diving resort and brought to Jolo, an island at the tip of the southern Philippines. -- AP
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12 June 2000; 16:26 pm - Bernama
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| HOSTAGE CRISIS: MILITARY FORCE AS A LAST RESORT
KOTA KINABALU, June 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia hopes that any military force to secure the release of the 21 hostages in Jolo in the southern Philippines will only be used as a last resort to end the crisis.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal said Monday this was because such action was very dangerous and put the lives of the hostages in jeopardy. "That (rescue operation) should only be the last option to free the hostages. For us, what is important is the safety of the hostages," he told reporters after chairing an organising committee meeting on the closing of the Independence Month, here. He also hoped that the crisis, which had dragged on for nearly two months, could be resolved peacefully as soon as possible without any bloodshed. "On the part of the Philippine governnment, they are trying their best to solve the problem, and have their own considerations with regard to the Abu Sayyaf's demands...we respect that. "At the same time we are concerned for the hostages' safety, whether they are Malaysians or foreigners," he said. Philippine chief hostage negotiator Roberto Aventajado was quoted as saying recently that the government was not ruling out a military option to resolve the crisis. The crisis started on April 23 when a group of gunmen took nine Malaysians and 12 foreign tourists hostage in Sipadan Island off Sabah. On the latest developments in Jolo, Shafie said all the hostages were reported to be safe and the government had sent medical supplies there on board a special Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft three days ago. "We have also proposed to the Philippine government to set up a special body to monitor the health of the hostages," he said. On the Independence Month, he said that besides the National Day celebrations on Aug 31, the government had decided to celebrate Independence Month from Aug 17 to Sept 16 and Sabah had been chosen to host the closing ceremony this year. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, was scheduled to perform the closing ceremony in Teluk Likas, near here, he said. |
13 June 2000; 12:32 pm - Bernama
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| THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SIPADAN KIDNAP AND SABAH COMMISSION
By Azman Ujang
KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 (Bernama)- "The people of Mindanao, especially the Bangsamoro, are deprived of their liberty, freedom, income and everything. It is the Manila government that enjoys the fruits of Mindanao". These are the words of Nadzmi Saadulan or better known as Commander Global, a leader of the armed group now holding 21 people mostly foreign tourists hostage on Jolo island in southern Philippines. In a revealing interview with The Star newspaper published on Tuesday, Global was trying to justify why the group had kidnapped the 21 people who include nine Malaysians, on the Sipadan island off Sabah on April 23. The Sipadan incident and its aftermath once again exposes the hopeless situation the Philippine government is facing in dealing with armed separatist rebel groups roaming freely in predominantly Muslim Mindanao. Global said the Sipadan operation was carried out because of history. While history -- Mindanao was once a sovereign country before becoming part of the Philippines -- might justify their struggle for an independent homeland in the predominantly Christian republic, the kidnapping of 21 people completely unconnected with their cause could very well wipe out whatever sympathy and support the international community might have for their cause. And they showed their true colours by choosing to stage the kidnap on Sipadan, one of the most peaceful spots in the world -- where the tourists were savouring the diving paradise before being taken with the Malaysian workers across the Sulu sea to the southern Philippines. For all intents and purposes, the kidnap also betrays the very people whose interest the kidnappers claim to protect. These are the tens of thousands of Filipino immigrants from the ethnic Bangsamoro, who have made the Malaysian state of Sabah their home since the first exodus began in the early 1970's following a rebellion in southern Phillpines where lawlessness prevails till this modern day. Their cause is weakened even further when one of the two demands they made in exchange for releasing the hostages, the setting up of a Sabah Commission to investigate human rights "abuses" of the Bangsamoro in Sabah, is taken into its proper perspective. In the interview with The Star, Global "clarified" the demand which the group purportedly presented to the Philippine government negotiating team in their on-again, off-again talks. He did not mention human rights "abuses" but said the group " wants the Malaysian government to treat our brothers in Islam in Sabah fairly so that they can participate in nation building in Malaysia". " That is why one of the demands is the creation of a Sabah Commission by having an office created and funded by the Malaysian government and headed by a Filipino who is a Bangsamoro with a valid Malaysian identity card", he said. Malaysia has rejected this demand as preposterous, and if Global and his fellow rebel leaders know what they are talking about, said a senior Malaysian official, it should not have been made in the first place. There are 600,000 foreign immigrants in Sabah, which shares its borders with the Philippines and Indonesia, of which over 250,000 -- equivalent to the population of Brunei -- are Filipinos. The Filipinos in Sabah are treated better than in their own homeland, which is why they not only continue to stay but their numbers keep swelling at the expense of discomfort and security of the local population, not to mention at great costs to the Malaysian government. Of the total number of Filipinos in Sabah, 60,000 are allowed to stay indefinitely and exempted from the immigration law that requires immigrants to have travel documents. These people are also allowed to work in any sector of employment. There are also 120,000 Filipino workers and their dependents in the plantation and other industries, leaving about 80,000 classified as illegals, said the official, who made public for the first time details of the Filipino immigrant situation in the country. " There are more illegals from the Philippines in Sabah than from Indonesia because Manila does not even have a consulate in the state that would have made it easier for Filipinos to have travel documents. In comparison, the Indonesian government has already established two consulates in Sabah, one in Kota Kinabalu and the other in Tawau," he said. Despite Malaysia's efforts to get the Philippines to set up at least one consulate office in Sabah to facilitate the issue of passports to its citizens, it has not done so. This increases further the workload of the already over-worked special government task force handling the immigrant problem. The task force in 1997 carried out a three-month regularisation exercise at Malaysia's expense during which about 20,000 Filipinos without any travel documents were "legalised". " This has never been done anywhere in the world," said the official. Malaysia's hospitality to the Bangsamoro also extends well beyond providing the roof over their heads as they also avail themselves to hospital facilities while their children are studying in the local schools. The official said some 21,000 Filipino children have enrolled in government schools, and the number is one-third the population of Perlis, Malaysia's smallest state. Although those studying in secondary schools are charged a RM20 fee per month, over 70 per cent of them do not pay up. Based on the student-teacher ratio, the Filipino children require 910 teachers whose total salaries would come up to RM1.4 million monthly; and at an average of 500 students per school, accomodating them means making available 42 schools at an average cost of RM4 million each. The cost of treatment for the Filipinos at government hospitals is equally glaring given the policy that such hospitals accept patients irrespective of whether they are citizens or not. A more telling figure concerns the bad debts suffered by government hospitals -- out of the RM20 million worth of unpaid hospital bills, RM15 million is owed by the foreign immigrants including the Filipinos. Out of the two million out-patients registered at government hospitals in 1998, 180,000 were foreign immigrants and on a ratio of one doctor to 500 patients, treating them would require the services of 360 doctors. The plantation, construction and other industries in Sabah have been providing jobs to the tens of thousands of Filipino men who earn between RM15 and RM35 daily depending on their skills, apart from thousands more of the women who work as maids. The presence of the Filipinos has created squatter colonies all over the state. A sample census was conducted in 15 districts covering 7,832 squatter houses occupied by 50,400 people on government land. " If they were to be charged a monthly rent of RM50 for one house, they would have to pay RM4.6 million a year in rentals, but they are occupying these houses free of charge," said the official in citing another example of the Malaysian hospitality for the Filipinos. While the armed group has made a big fuss about the need for "fair" treatment of the Bangsamoro in Sabah, it appears oblivious to the fact that a large number of them are involved in criminal activities. According to the official, out of the 1,258 prisoners now in the four jails in Sabah, 722 or 57 per cent are Filipinos. In order to check the influx of illegal immigrants into the state, the Malaysian authorities are also forced to undertake yet another expensive job -- deportation. " Last year, 22,000 were deported. In the case of the Filipinos, those that were deported were mainly people who have served their time in our prisons and those we consider undesirable for being involved in smuggling and other illegal activities. " And even then, they are deported according to rules and regulations and treated as humanely as possible," he added. Despite Malaysia being very much an aggrieved party in the hostage crisis -- with about half the hostages being Malaysians and the foreign tourists kidnapped while holidaying in Malaysia -- there appears to be attempts in the Philippines to blame Malaysia for efforts it is making to help end the hostage crisis. The latest effort comes from Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar who goes to Manila tomorrow for talks with President Joseph Estrada. Global said in the interview that his group's mission is to create a scenario where the Philippine government, whom he accused of delaying the negotiation process to end the crisis, would have "migraine". Malaysians who are so used to a law and order situation are simply puzzled and, like the hostages themselves, frustrated by the fact that while every journalist or cameraman has managed to walk in and out of the hostages' hideout in Jolo to meet with their captors, the Philippine authorities appeared to have done little, if anything, to nab them. While the Philippines might consider itself immune to the judgement that the international community might pass on the country for dragging its feet in ending the crisis, it could start at least to do better than it has done, or not done, over the past 50 days of the hostage drama. |
13 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| JOLO HOSTAGE TALKS ON HOLDBy Joel R. San Juan and Maricel Cruz and Charmaine Deogracias MALACAÑANG slammed the Abu Sayyaf yesterday for its "unreasonable" demands and warned rebels holding 21 Asian and western hostages in Sulu island they would no longer be allowed to dictate the pace of negotiations.
Even as national officials tried to downplay the latest setback in the 50-day hostage saga, European envoys expressed alarm over the sudden disappearance of Caucasian captives. The Malaysian Red Crescent confirmed that guerrillas had split their hostages into two groups. The aid team was able to check on the health of Asians but, as of press time, was still trying to work out a visit to the 10 Caucasians and their lone Filipino woman companion.
The governments of Finland and Malaysia, meanwhile, reiterated their warnings against any military rescue attempt as this could lead to the deaths of hostages and a congressman bared that rebels had pledged P100,000 as "syping fee" for families across Sulu.
Rep. Antonio Dequiña (LAMP, North Cotabato) said rebel sources told him residents were passing on vital military information to guerrillas.
Dequiña, chair of the House committee on national defense, said he got the information during a recent visit to an Abu Sayyaf Camp.
Disappointment
German Ambassador to the Philippines Wolfgang Gottleman also expressed disappointment over the slow-pace of the negotiations and raised concern for ailing Renate Waller and her husband and son.
At the Independence Day Vin D’Honneur in Malacañang, Gottleman told reporters the hostages were increasingly despondent.
"I think they are a little bit impatient now that nothing has really happened and we are, I must confess, disappointed that the second round of negotiations which was supposed to take place on Saturday did not take place,” Gottleman said.
The Palace announced a three to four-day recess in the release talks, saying officials had to review rebels’ new demands.
"We decided we are going to take 3-4 days off" to review the situation, Zamora said Monday. "Then we will see what has to be done. Basically we decided yesterday it may be a good idea to let things cool off, for us to examine these new demands they have made."
Puno, reacting on Gottleman's statement, said the Philippine government should bear no blame for the delayed talks.
Officials could not rush negotiations to the point of alarming rebels, he stressed.
"The reality is they hold the lives of the hostages in their hands so we would like to do nothing that would jeopardize the safety and the welfare of the hostages even if it is taking a longer period of time," Puno stressed.
'Unreasonable'
Puno admitted the situation in Sulu "is sensitive and somewhat dangerous."
"There's a certain unpredictability about the Abu Sayyaf at this point," he said, adding that the rebels' demands were "rapidly becoming unreasonable and repetitive."
The Press secretary said Malacañang would not be cowed. But, at the same time, he opened the door to the replacement of government chief negotiator, Robert Aventajado, which is the newest Abu Sayyaf demand.
Puno said members of Cabinet Cluster E, which oversees national security, met Sunday night and agreed the chairmanship of the government panel was "not a critical issue."
"In fact you don't even have to have a chief negotiator as long as there are people talking to them," the Press secretary stressed. Aside from Aventajado, President Estrada's flagship adviser, the other negotiators are Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, former Libyan ambassador Rajab Azzarouq and Professor Farrouk Hussein. |
14 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| AVENTAJADO OUT OF HOSTAGE TALKS; PALACE CITES SLAY PLOTBy Mirasol Ng-Gadil,Joel R. San Juan and Macon Ramos-Araneta
PRESIDENTIAL Flagship Adviser Robert Aventajado may no longer lead negotiations for the release of Abu Sayyaf’s 21 mostly foreign hostages in Sulu due to assassination threats, Malacañang said yesterday.
Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said Aventajado himself confirmed reports of the assassination plot.
The Abu Sayyaf terrorists have demanded the replacement of Aventajado for alleged “irresponsible” statements on the possibility of a military rescue.
But Aventajado, in a press statement, clarified that he was not advocating a military option to end the Sulu hostage crisis.
“It is unfortunate that my statement has been taken out of context and led to speculations that a rescue operation was in the works and that I was advocating such an option. Nothing is farther from the truth,” he said.
He added that a military rescue was one of the many options “any self-respecting government” would consider, given the facts of the hostage crisis.
But Aventajado stressed that as chief government negotiator, he would be the last to contemplate a military solution because his mandate “is to hold a dialogue with the hostage-takers so that not a single life is unnecessarily put on the line.”
Guerrillas now want Zamora to head the government negotiating team. The Executive Secretary, said only President Estrada can give that assignment. He also said “it is not necessary right now” to assume Aventajado’s role.
Zamora said it was not yet clear which Abu Sayyaf faction wants Aventajado dead.
He quoted some reports pointing to the Basilan group still holding eight captives seized from a Catholic school on March 29.
Leaders of that band emerged in Talipao, Sulu last week after escaping a military dragnet in their home base. Intelligence reports said they brought some of the hostages, who fall under a separate release effort headed by National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre.
Another ranking Palace source said the reported assassination plot against the chief negotiator was also a reason for “suspended” negotiations.
Zamora, however, said the three to four days “recess” in the talks must not be considered as suspension.
Members of Cabinet Cluster E, or national security cluster, are merely reviewing necessary steps to deal with the altering demands of the Abu Sayyaf, he clarified.
“The Abu Sayyaf has been changing its demands. Now, they not only make for political demands but non-political demands as well,” Zamora pointed out.
He said the Muslim extremists have also asked for the return of Sabah to the Sultanate of Sulu.
A senator, meanwhile, lashed at PNP Director Panfilo Lacson for his criticism of the military’s handling of hostage crisis in Basilan.
“Lacson should remember that he is the chief of police and not the chief of staff,” said Biazon, reacting to the police officer’s claim that commando operations by elite cops would have been the appropriate rescue strategy.
Instead of dictating military in Mindanao, Lacson should confine himself to improve the performance of the police organization, the chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security added.
“He should concentrate on police functions other than trying to interfere in military operations,” Biazon stressed.
While not disputing that Lacson and his cops may have undergone training on hostage situations, the former Armed Forces chief of staff said their skills may be good for small groups holed up in contained areas.
“They may have no capability and expertise in this kind of situation involving the Abu Sayyaf, in the jungles of Basilan and Sulu,” Biazon said, adding that the political dimensions in Mindanao make large-scale abductions beyond the scope of police duties.
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15 June 2000 - ABS-CBN
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| MILITARY ATTACKS CAMP RAJAMUDA
COTABATO, (ABS-CBN) - The military attacked a major Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp in Maguindanao on Wednesday, hours after a high-ranking military official was ambushed in the area.
Air Force planes, augmented by two Army battalions, dropped bombs and rockets on Camp Rajamuda at the boundary of Maguindanao and North Cotabato. The camp, which is believed to be occupied by about 500 rebels, is one of two remaining major MILF camps in the southern Mindanao region. The other major camp, Camp Abubakar, has been largely untouched since the military launched a major offensive against the rebels about two months ago. The attack on Camp Rajamuda came several hours after a convoy of division commander Maj. Gen. Gregorio Camiling was ambushed by MILF guerrillas in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, at about 5:35 a.m., Wednesday. Camiling was unhurt in the ambush, but one soldier was wounded and one Simba armored vehicle was damaged. Last Friday, two civilians were killed and nine soldiers were wounded during fighting along the highway linking Cotabato City and Davao City, while hundreds of travelers were stranded for about seven hours after government troops closed the road. Meanwhile, soldiers found dozens of decomposing bodies of MILF guerrillas in another rebel camp, Jabal Nur in Marugong, Lanao del Sur province which was overrun by the military on Monday. Major Johnny Macanas, spokesman of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, said the camp was being used by the rebels to replenish their supplies and ammunition.? At least 184 government soldiers and militiamen were killed and more than 680 wounded in clashes since January, in what the military consider the most serious fighting in the southern Mindanao region since the height of the Muslim rebellion in the 1970's. (With a report from the Associated Press) |
15 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| SAUDI ENVOY'S TRIP TO JOLO IRKS SIAZONBy Chairmaine Deogracias
FOREIGN Secretary Domingo Siazon expressed outrage Tuesday night over the Saudi Arabian envoy’s un-authorized trip to critical Mindanao provinces, fearing complications to an already chaotic situation in southern Philippines.
The diplomatic repercussions of Mindanao unrest also worsened yesterday. The governments of France, Finland and Germany are filing a joint note expressing concern over the latest impasse in negotiations for the release of the Abu Sayyaf’s 21 mostly foreign hostages.
Foreign Ministers Hubert Vedrine of France, Joshka Fisher of Germany and Tarja Halonen of Finland are expected to sign the letter today. Siazon said the ambassadors of the three countries informed him of the move Tuesday.
In a positive development, Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez backtracked on his attacks against Malaysia over the issue of Filipino migrants and said he would leave the Sabah issue to the DFA.
Rodriguez had earlier demanded declaring Malaysian Ambassador Mohammad Arshad bin Manzoor Hussein as persona non grata for his statements on Sabah and visits to Abu Sayyaf hostages. The DFA chief defended the Malaysian envoy, saying he was just doing his job.
Siazon told reporters Saudi Ambassador Saleh Moham-mad Al-Ghamdi was reported in war-torn areas amid heavy fighting between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and government forces.
During induction rites of the DFA press corps, Siazon was frantically trying to get in touch with the envoy.
He soft-pedalled yesterday, however, saying Al-Ghamdi was merely delivering a plane load of “relief goods” donated by the Middle East Kingdom to war refugees in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.
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16 June 2000 - AFP
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| PHILIPPINE MILITARY TO SCALE DOWN FORCES IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES: SPOKESMAN
MANILA, June 16 (AFP) -
The Philippine military said Thursday it will scale down its forces in the south following a series of battlefield victories over Muslim separatist rebels.
Armed forces civil relations chief Colonel Jaime Canatoy said an undetermined number of troops arrayed against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the southern region of Mindanao would be redeployed.
"There will be a deceleration because of the series of defeats suffered by the MILF. They are running low on ammmunition, they are on the run and don't have sanctuaries anymore," Canatoy told reporters.
Military officials say about 60 percent of the armed forces, or about 70,000 soldiers, have been concentrated in Mindanao to fight a resurgence of MILF attacks this year, as well as gunmen from the smaller Abu Sayyaf extremist group.
The Abu Sayyaf has been holding 21 mostly foreign hostages on the island of Jolo for nearly two months, while the MILF rebellion centers on the province of Maguindanao and surrounding provinces.
"We have degraded their military capability and they are not as strong as before," Canatoy said, referring to the 15,000-strong MILF which has been waging a 22-year war for an independent Islamic homeland.
The military has so far captured 19 MILF bases since launching the offensive in April.
Although troops have stormed the gates of the main MILF base of Camp Abubakar, military field commanders said they have been ordered against taking over the cantonment.
They said orders to capture Camp Abubakar, the political and military headquarters of the MILF, would have to be a political decision by the government of President Joseph Estrada which is engaged in peace talks with the guerrillas.
Estrada aides say that the strategy is to isolate the rebels in Camp Abubakar and force the MILF to a peace agreement on government terms.
Estrada on Wednesday rejected calls from a group of influential Roman Catholic bishops for a truce with the MILF and gave three conditions before the army will stop its offensive.
In a dialogue with the bishops, Estrada said the guerrillas must first lay down their arms, abandon their campaign for independence and put a stop to "terrorist and criminal" activities before he agrees to a ceasefire.
Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said Estrada gave the bishops six months to help convince the MILF to lay down their arms.
Orlando Quevedo, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, on Thursday clarified that the church leaders had not offered to mediate a surrender by the MILF.
"What we said was that the issue of a surrender of arms should be part of the negotiations for peace," Quevedo said in a statement.
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16 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| SAYYAF GETS P7.6M ARMS FROM VIETSBy Mirasol Ng-Gadil and Joel San Juan
ANTICIPATING a possible military rescue mission for the 19 foreign and two Filipino hostages, the Abu Sayyaf has fortified its firepower with firearms and war materiel from Vietnam.
Malacañang announced the resumption today of hostage release talks in Sulu, saying chief government negotiator Robert Aventajado would still lead negotiations.
Despite death threats against Aventajado, President Estrada decided to maintain him as chief negotiator. But a ranking Palace source said the President asked Aventajado to “be quiet,” keep a low profile, and stay away from journalists.
The source said the Chief Executive gave his flagship adviser instructions on “new approaches to bargaining,” with the aim of convincing rebels to alter their demands. He did not elaborate on the new government tack.
Executive Secretary confirmed Aventajado would still head release talks, as well as the presidential directive to “keep quiet.”
In a joint press conference yesterday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon and Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar denied that the supposed ransom demanded by the terrorists for their 21 mostly foreign hostages was seriously considered.
They also brushed aside reports that Kuala Lumpur sent its own negotiators to Jolo, Sulu. “We do not intend to make such a move,” the Malaysian official said.
Military officials said the arms cache, which includes 20 pieces of 57-mm recoilless rifles (bazookas), and 10 pieces of 81-mm mortars, landed in a remote Davao City village and was transported to Sulu in the first week of June.
“Street sweeper” guns and assorted rifles and ammunition, and explosives also formed part of the P7.6-million shipment.
The military report did not say who was responsible for facilitating the arms purchase and landing. Camp Aguinaldo officials said they received the intelligence warning around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Armed Forces (AFP) officers said recoilless rifles can stop light armored fighting vehicles and are effective anti-infantry weapons, while mortars can serve both offensive and defensive positions.
They said the Abu Sayyaf closed the arms deal last month, after government troops were ordered to pull back from the cordon they had set up around the extremist rebels’ hideout in Sulu.
The Abu Sayyaf initially demanded the establishment of an independent Islamic state, a Sabah Commission to probe alleged abuses of Filipino migrants in the Malaysian territory, and restriction of commercial fishing activities in the Sulu Sea.
Last week, however, the rebels demanded the replacement of Aventajado by Zamora and the return of Sabah to the Sultanate of Sulu.
Malacañang said it could only grant concessions on the fishing issue. It has turned all other Abu Sayyaf demands.
with a report from Manny B. Marinay |
17 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| GOVT TO RESTRICT PRESS COVERAGE OF HOSTAGE CRISIS
THE government is considering restrictions on press coverage of the hostage crisis in the southern Philippines to prevent news reports from complicating negotiations with Muslim rebels who are holding 21 mostly foreign hostages, Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said yesterday.
He said government may prohibit journalists from visiting the Abu Sayyaf rebel camp for interviews with the hostages and their captors.
He said extensive international publicity received by the rebels has given them a “false sense of some kind of superiority or being on top of the situation.”
“That is not the sort of atmosphere that can lead to an early conclusion of the negotiations,” he said.
The Abu Sayyaf are holding three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos who were abducted April 23 from a Malaysian diving resort and taken to Jolo island in the southern Philippines.
The government suspended negotiations with the rebels on Monday after their demands began rapidly escalating. They are reportedly demanding a very large ransom and the turnover of Malaysia’s Sabah state.
Puno, who was a top news executive at the Philippines’ ABS-CBN broadcast network before becoming press secretary, said journalists are now “being used as tools” in the hostage crisis.
“It is no longer possible to say it is merely a purely journalistic endeavor on their part. They are now being used as part of the action, and that, I think, is where we make a distinction,” he said.
The government is considering holding regular press briefings instead of allowing journalists to visit the Abu Sayyaf camp, Puno said.
He said Abu Sayyaf leaders could also express their views.
“The right to information of all people can be handled through regular press conferences that would be more orderly and a lot safer,” Puno said. “On balance it is felt that perhaps some sort of restriction on media coverage there is now warranted.”
Scores of foreign and Filipino journalists traveled to remote Jolo after the kidnapping, and many made trips to the rebels’ mountainside hideout.
The number of journalists visiting the camp has declined sharply in recent weeks as the Abu Sayyaf’s treatment of reporters has worsened. Many journalists have been forced to surrender personal belongings such as watches, wedding rings, cameras, shoes and money.
In the most serious incident, 10 foreign journalists working for German television networks and a German magazine were held by the rebels for about 10 hours two weeks ago until they were able to raise $25,000 to buy their freedom.
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17 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| KL BAMBOOZLING ERAP ON MINDANAOBy Charmaine Deogracias, Mirasol Ng-Gadil and Joel San Juan
MALAYSIAN Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar has hinted that the Estrada government should stop its military operations against the Muslim separatists because the influential Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) may inevitably take cognizance of the issue during its meeting in Kuala Lumpur on June 27 to 30.
A ranking official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Albar relayed this message during a luncheon meeting with the Malaysian minister Thursday.
“Stop highlighting and exacerbating the Mindanao problem—the issue of the hostage situation and the MILF conflict. Otherwise, it will become an issue in the OIC under the context of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim states,” the official, who requested anonymity, quoted Albar as saying.
The DFA official said Albar did not elaborate, but this was taken as a hint that the government should now stop the military offensives mounted against the secessionist MILF rebels.
It will be recalled that the OIC has reportedly approved a resolution urging the Estrada government to pursue peace talks with the rebels instead of opting for a military solution to the problem.
Malacañang lashed out at Malaysia and struck down hints for mediation in Mindanao.
“We do not need a third party for referee for the two sides, this is a matter that has to be solved by Filipinos among themselves,” Press Secretary Ricardo Puno stressed.
The government will only allow in a third party once an agreement is on hand, like what happened during settlement efforts with the Moro National Liberation Front.
“The mediation process did not come in until the last couple of months, when all that was needed was just a little bit of push to get all the details of the agreement,” Puno pointed out.
The OIC Mindanao resolution will be tackled at the 27th annual meeting of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) on June 29 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A DFA official said that during the luncheon meeting with government officials, Albar said the OIC may also tackle another resolution regarding Muslim minorities in non-Muslim states in Kuala Lumpur.
The resolution, entitled Plan of Action on Safeguarding the Rights of Muslim Communities and Minorities, was adopted during an OIC Committee of Experts meeting in Brazil last April l8.
During the Brazil meeting, OIC Secretary-General Azzedine Laraki highlighted the need to protect the rights of Muslim communities and minorities in non-member states of the organization.
The proposed action plan likewise stressed the need to help the Muslim minorities preserve their Islamic identity as well as participate actively in the economic and social advancement of the countries where they live, but taking consideration those countries’ “sovereignty and traditions.”
“This would encourage the Muslim minorities in non-Islamic states to cooperate, better integrate themselves in the communities in which they live and bring in their contribution to the latter’s public life…without affecting in any way the state’s sovereignty,” Laraki said in a statement after the Brazil meeting.
According to the DFA official, Albar informed them that in Kuala Lumpur, the ICFM will discus two major issues: Islam and globalization as well as the election of the next OIC secretary-general.
The Mindanao problem, Albar reportedly said, will be discussed in the context of Islam and globalization. |
18 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| ABU FREES FIVE BASILAN KIDSBy Manny B. Marinay and Mirasol Ng-Gadil
ABU Sayyaf guerrillas in Talipao, Sulu yesterday freed five Basilan school-children in exchange for the freedom of seven close relatives of rebel leader Khadaffy Janjalani.
The office of government chief hostage negotiator Robert Aventajado said the extremist group still holds three hostages, the balance of a group of 40 people seized from a Basilan school last March.
After close to three months of captivity, Hazel Kate dela Torre, Joel dela Torre, Jule Padrege, Ian Luset, and Rian Laputan walked away from rebels around 10 a.m. The children are all residents of a coastal village in Sumisip, Basilan.
They were taken into custody by two emissaries of Aventajado and flown to Zamboanga City.
Both emissaries—an unnamed civilian and the vice Mayor of Sumisip had earlier in the day brought Janjalani’s seven relatives to Sulu, after their release from a vigilante band.
Aventajado turned over the children to their families yesterday afternoon at the Edwin Adrew air base in Zamboanga City.
Doctors who examined the free captives said they were tired and overwrought but otherwise in good health.
Sumisip town folk wept for joy following news of the release.
But their celebration was tempered with sorrow for three children and two teachers still languishing from wounds sustained during a military rescue operation last month.
The five badly-injured Basilan hostages remain confined in Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Medical Center in Quezon City
and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) has launched an aid campaign for their families.
Aventajado identified Janjalani’s relatives as his sister Atika Abdurasid, mother Vilma, Alimag Gashil Abdurazid; Ikmaitan Abdurazid; Karima Jalman, also Janjalani’s sister, and her daughter, one-and-a-half year-old Citi; and Zoraida Hamsa-in
Janjalani’s father-in-law, Ustadz Hussien Banatag, facilitated their release.
Aventajado, President Estrada’s flagship adviser, said no money was involved in the hostage of release.
The rebels are still holding two teachers and the son of a soldier.
In Manila, Dr. Adelfo Trinidad, director, DECS School Health and Nutrition Center (SHNC), said five Basilan hostages have been confined since May 7.
The gun battle that led to the rescue of the hostages in Lantawan, five towns away from the original hostage site of Sumisip, left student Evelyn Cachuela with spinal cord injuries. She is now paralyzed from waist down.
Two other students, Christy Vergara and Jovelyn Emo still have bullets or shrapnel in their bodies.
Trinidad said rescued public school teachers, couple Rosebert and Ajon Lydda, also need prolonged medical care. Rosebert is being scheduled for skin grafts. Ajon needs a prosthesis for an amputated left arm. Husband and wife are public school teachers at the Sinangkapan Elementary School.
All five patients need to remain in hospital until their health conditions stabilize, Trinidad said.
“They shall be needing all the necessary support we can give them, especially in terms of providing basic commodities to their family members or relatives who are tending to them,” Trinidad stressed.
“The patients’ families do not have relatives in Metro Manila. They don’t have anybody to rely on for their everyday needs while their patients are still in confinement,” he added.
Education Secretary Andrew Gonzalez, accompanied by assistant secretaries Fe Hidalgo and Ramon Bacani, said private donors have been helping the victims.
But he appealed for additional aid both from government employees and ordinary citizens.
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18 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| AVENTAJADO BACK IN SADDLE AS GOVT CHIEF NEGOTIATOR
ABU Sayyaf rebels yesterday agreed to allow Robert Aventajado to continue heading the government panel in talks for the release of their 21 Asian and western hostages.
Malacañang said it was pleased to hear of the concession and forecast progress in efforts to free the hostages, now on their 56th day of captivity.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces denied news reports of a P7.6-million arms landing for the Abu Sayyaf. Officials said “no information of this nature was ever reported” to the J2, or military directorate for intelligence. AFP civil relations chief, Col. Jaime Canatoy, said the false report could be the handiwork of “the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People’s Army.”
THE MANILA TIMES ran the story. It is standing by its report.
In a follow up interview yesterday, the military intelligence source verified the existence of an internal AFP report on the arms shipment and repeated the breakdown of weapons: 20 recoilless rifles, 10 field mortars, street sweepers or semi-automatic shotguns and other kinds of long arms.
An Abu Sayyaf emissary reportedly presented a hand-written press release to Aventajado’s Manila office.
It explained the group’s decision to recognize Aventajado, whom they had earlier accused of working for a military rescue operation.
Palace officials said the emissary met with Aventajado yesterday.
The June 17 letter from Ghalib Andang a.k.a. Commander Robot, and Abu Sayyaf Sulu commander Mujeeb Susukan, said rebels were satisfied by the negotiator’s explanation, that he “would be the last person to favor a military option.”
“(We) hereby inform the Estrada administration that should future negotiations take place, after the cooling off period, Secretary Aventajado may continue with his role as GRP chief negotiator,” the rebel leaders said.
“With this statement from the Abu Sayyaf, everything will be set next week for the resumption of the talks,” an aide of the government negotiator said.
The rebels seized three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos on April 23 from a Malaysian diving resort and brought them to Jolo, an island at the southern tip of the Philippines.--Mirasol Ng-Gadil And Manny B. Marinay
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19 June 2000 - Reuters
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PHILIPPINES 'VERY OPTIMISTIC' ON HOSTAGE TALKSPhilippines 'Very Optimistic' on Hostage TalksJOLO, Philippines (Reuters) - The chief Philippines negotiator trying to secure the release of 21 mostly foreign hostages said on Sunday he was ``very optimistic'' after their Islamic rebel captors freed five children held since March.
Presidential adviser Roberto Aventajado said no date had been set for a resumption of talks with the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf rebels, but the release of the Filipino children was a ''good sign'' for the foreign captives who have now been held for nearly two months.
``I am optimistic, very optimistic,'' Aventajado told Reuters when asked about the chances of securing the freedom of the nine Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two South Africans, two Finns, one Lebanese, and two other Filipino hostages.
The 21 were seized from a Malaysian diving resort on April 23 and taken to Jolo island in the Philippines' far south, 960 km (600 miles) south of Manila.
But presidential spokesman Ricardo Puno tempered Manila's jubilation at the release on Jolo on Saturday of the schoolchildren, aged from 10 to 13.
``We know that the work doesn't end here,'' Puno said in a television interview. ``In many ways, it has only begun. The negotiations will continue.''
The children were among more than 50 Filipinos abducted by the Abu Sayyaf from two high schools on nearby Basilan island on March 20.
The guerrillas freed most of the others, while 15 were rescued by soldiers on May 3. The military said six hostages, including a Roman Catholic priest, were killed by the rebels. Two of them were beheaded.
Teachers Still In Captivity
Three other Filipinos, including two teachers, among the group abducted in Basilan are still in rebel hands.
The foreign hostage crisis and a surge in Islamic militancy elsewhere in the country have embarrassed President Joseph Estrada and presented him with his biggest security challenge in his two years in office.
Doctors who visited the heavily fortified rebel camp on Jolo said the foreign captives were suffering from various ailments. Hostages have told visiting reporters some of their companions had become so despondent they were thinking of ending their ordeal with suicide.
The rebels have made several political demands, including establishment of an independent Muslim homeland in the south, which Manila has rejected.
Manila newspapers, quoting unnamed emissaries, said they had also asked for various amounts of ransom, including 200 million pesos ($4.7 million) for their five women captives.
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19 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| SPYING ON MUSLIM REBS A TOUGH JOB - AFP CHIEF
ARMED Forces chief of staff Gen. Angelo Reyes admitted that the AFP intelligence network has found it difficult to “nurture” assets within the Muslim community, which could have helped stop the Moro secessionists from carrying out terrorist activities.
The main reason, Reyes said, is the close family ties among Muslims which hampered military intelligence agents in penetrating their communities.
“We can’t do that. It’s difficult to do that,” Reyes said during the AFP “Night of the Generals” last Friday at the Manila Hotel sponsored by the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC).
Reyes added that intelligence gathering is a hit-or-miss operation because “it’s not 100 percent correct. It’s not easy.”
He also acknowledged that there is a proliferation of firearms in Mindanao, saying: “Muslims treasure their firearms. It’s a Muslim value.”
In recent weeks, the intelligence—gathering services bungled on critical matters when they failed to ascertain reports of various arms shipment to Moro guerrillas and Abu Sayyaf terrorist leader Khadaffy Janjalani eluding the dragnet on Basilan Island.
But what is admittedly the government forces’ biggest blunder so far was their discovery of several fortified Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) tunnels which the Moro guerrillas built for years without their knowledge.
In the same forum, Reyes clarified reports that they have bloated figures of soldiers’ casualties.
“There is no over fascination with the body counts,” Reyes said. “Media asked for figures.”
There is no reason to hide the figures as the military has daily reports to accomplish, one of which is to inform the families of the victims, Reyes said.--Manny B. Marinay
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20 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| SAYYAF WANTS $21-M RANSOM FOR HOSTAGES
JOLO—Muslim extremists holding 21 mostly foreign hostages in a jungle camp are demanding at least $1 million for each captive, and negotiations for their release could last up to six months, President Estrada’s chief aide said yesterday.
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.
No ransom
Chief government negotiator Roberto 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.
Press Secretary Ricardo Puno confirmed this, saying, “We’re not talking about ransom, the official policy of the government is that no ransom will be paid.”
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, during his visit to Manila, expressed concern over the slow pace of negotiations for the release of the 21 hostages, including nine Malaysians. He 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 Malaysia’s Sipadan diving resort and brought them to Jolo at the southern tip of the Philippines, about an hour’s boat ride away.
Six months
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 (half a mile) from their former camp, where the Asians remain.
Political demands
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. |
20 June 2000 - AFP
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| FILIPINO MUSLIM REBELS BRING TOURIST HOSTAGES OUT OF HIDING
JOLO, Philippines (AFP) - Filipino Muslim rebels have brought out of hiding 10 foreign tourists they had separated from their 11 other hostages after authorities threatened to cut off their food supplies, an informed source told AFP Monday.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels had separated the tourists from their Asian hostages for over a week to foil any military rescue attempt.
"They brought them back together today because they know food aid will be cut," the source said, adding that both groups of hostages were now in the Tiis Kutung district of Talipao town, located on the southern island of Jolo.
"The main reason is because of the food supply."
The return of the foreign tourists could not be independently confirmed.
A government emissary who was dispatched to confirm their return was unable to make it to the hostage holding area late Monday.
Authorities earlier Monday withheld food deliveries to the hostages to force the guerrillas to reveal the whereabouts of the 10 tourists.
The Abu Sayyaf seized the 21 hostages -- two French, three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, nine Malaysians, two Filipinos and a Lebanese -- from a Malaysian resort of Sipadan on April 23.
The Malaysians and Filipinos were workers at the resort or government employees.
The rebels, who brought the hostages by sea to this southern Philippine island, initially allowed them to receive food supplies and medical visits from government emissaries after the government opened a "humanitarian corridor" for the captives last month.
However the rebels separated and hid the tourists on June 9 for fear the government would launch a rescue attempt. Attempts by government envoys to see the tourist hostages have been turned down, prompting a halt in the delivery of food supplies until the tourist hostages were brought to the original holding area.
Doctors have expressed concern over the health of the tourists, who last received medical attention on June 2.
Chief government negotiator Roberto Aventajado said Monday that German, Finnish and French doctors were preparing to go up the Abu Sayyaf camp to check on the medical condition of the hostages, some of whom are ailing or believed to suffer psychological problems.
The Abu Sayyaf kidnappers who style themselves as independence fighters are asking for a ransom of 21 million dollars as well as a list of political concessions for the release of the hostages, a government emissary recently told AFP.
But Philippine President Joseph Estrada's Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said Monday there had been no talk of paying such ransom.
"We are not moving toward any payment of ransom. We're not talking about ransom. The official policy of the government remains: no ransom will be paid," he told reporters in Manila.
"We continue to negotiate but we do not talk about ransom," he said.
Earlier Monday, chief negotiator Aventajado warned parties against offering ransom to the Abu Sayyaf gunmen.
"At the end of the day it won't be good for the hostages and it won't be good for the government," Aventajado said.
President Joseph Estrada's chief aide, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, said on Monday that Manila has warned foreign governments of the danger of resorting to ransom to secure the release of their citizens.
The German newspaper Welt am Sonntag on Sunday reported that Berlin is readying aid equivalent to a ransom in the form of technical support for infrastructure projects on the southern Philippine island.
Sources close to the negotiations said ransom talks were still going on in Jolo after the Abu Sayyaf offered to free Filipino, French, German, Lebanese, and South African women hostages in exchange for 200 million pesosmillion dollars) in cash.
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21 June 2000 - The Manila Times
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| KL HACKLES ACT OVER ARMS REPORT
By Charmaine C. Deogracias and Joel San Juan
MALAYSIA reacted angrily to the Armed Forces' (AFP) claim of an alleged arms deal, reportedly forged in the neighboring Southeast Asian country, between North Korea and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
A ranking diplomat told THE MANILA TIMES the Philippine government should be raising the issue officially instead of going straight to media. Yet, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) seemed equally in the dark. Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. said he had not even heard of the report. The DFA will make representations with both Malaysia and North Korea only after it has verified the report, Siazon added. "If the report is true, we'll think about it. But there's commitment from North Korea that they'll respect our internal situation," Siazon said when asked of the implications of the report to the pending diplomatic ties eyed with Pyongyang. Diplomatic ties Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Juanito Jarasa told TMT, however, that such a report could torpedo the pending diplomatic relations set to be formalized between North Korea and the Philippines next month. The Philippines delayed the establishment of ties with Pyongyang because the communist regime had earlier supported local insurgents, even provided training for elite units of the New People's Army (NPA). Malaysia was more rattled by the report. "This is a very serious accusation. If this is verified, the Philippine government should protest the matter or tell us about it so we can help," a top official of the Malaysian Embassy told TMT in a telephone interview. He stressed his government had not received any word from Manila about the alleged arms deal, nor the presence of MILF leaders in Kuala Lumpur, where the foreign ministers of the Organic of Islamic Conference (OIC) are scheduled to meet on June 29. "Malaysia is a free country, just like the Philippines. No visa is required to enter KL," the diplomat said. "If there might be a group doing business somewhere there maybe in hotels, how would we know such a private transaction, just as your government would not know who are doing something in some hotels here," he added. MILF problem Palace officials, meanwhile, told TMT that Malaysian Ambassador Mohammad Arshad bin Manzoor Hussein met yesterday noon with National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre on the MILF problem. The envoy reportedly "strongly reiterated" Malaysia's non-recognition of the country's rebel group. Hussein appeared "irked" about being "repeatedly asked to give his reassurance," the sources said. The Malaysian, they added, insisted his country does not recognize the MILF and "will never support them." Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr. gave credence to the AFP claim. "They (military officials) know about it, they have taken steps to make sure that any plan to bring in arms are going to be frustrated," he told reporters. He also hinted at a backlash against rebels. "Any attempts to bring in arms will be inconsistent with the posture that we are talking peace," Puno said. Siazon himself said the report, once verified, could have serious repercussions for the country's ties with Malaysia.
The Abu Sayyaf hostage crisis in Sulu and ongoing government operations against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have already strained relations between Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
Malacañang has tried to get Malaysia's commitment to back the government as guest in the OIC conference. It also wants Kuala Lumpur's help in defeating two draft resolutions-one calling for a halt to attacks against the MILF and the other urging postponement of polls and a plebiscite on expanded autonomy for Muslim Mindanao.
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