Mary Jean Lacaba, one of three Red Cross workers who have been held hostage in the southern Philippines for 44 days now, has made contact with a reporter from the Philippines Inquirer. In an exclusive phone interview permitted by her captors – the Abu Sayyaf Group – Lacaba explained that she and a fellow hostage were suffering bouts of diarrhoea and requested that negotiations for their release be sped up. The Filipina also described the experience as being “very hard and truly painful”.
The government, meanwhile, has criticised the kidnappers for trying to use their hostages’ ill health as a bargaining chip. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr said of the strategy, “If we give in to that, the world [would go] topsy-turvy”.
Today marked the launch of the new book Out of Captivity, penned by former hostages Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes. The three American contractors were seized by FARC after their plane crashed in Colombia in 2003. The book describes in detail the day that the men were captured and the subsequent five years they spent in the jungle – often in chains or cages, walking for hours a day, being subjected to the whims of the guerrillas, often half their age, who kept watch over them with guns. The book also reveals that the men support the policies of Colombian President Uribe and the United States not to negotiate with hostage-takers.
The men will appear Friday evening on the American news programme 20/20. (see my other blog post here for more on the book’s publicity)
Douglas Wood, an Australian held hostage in Iraq for two months in 2005, is now pleading for the Australian government to give asylum to the Iraqis who aided in his rescue. Seven men involved in Wood’s release have been killed already by Al Qaeda; two still are alive but live under threat of retribution. Wood is appealing for their safety under the special humanitarian program of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, which vows to undertake a thorough assessment of their cases.
–A Pakistani who had been kidnapped in Somalia was freed today without a ransom payment. Local elders negotiated for the release of the man, who was working on a farming project in the north.
–Former hostage Richard Butler has given an interview to CBS news in the United States, giving insight into his captivity. Butler described the experience of food shortages and bombs descending on Basra
–The mother of John Solecki, the American UN official captured in Quetta, Pakistan, has issued a statement to his captors, urging for his release. Mrs Solecki’s statement includes reference to her living and working in Balochistan years ago as an archaeologist.
An American held hostage for more than five years and freed as part of Operation Jaque last July has returned to the country of his captivity. Keith Stansell wanted to personally thank the Colombian military for their strategic (and bloodless) rescue operation that freed him and 14 others, including former Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. Next week, Harper Collins will release a book, Out of Captivity, that Stansell penned with two other Americans held hostage with him.
Two Russians who were being held hostage in Nigeria were recovered after escaping from a militant camp several days ago. The pair were kidnapped two months ago by gunmen in speedboats in the tumultuous Niger Delta region.
And two Italian nuns kidnapped in Kenya in November were also freed this week. The two women had been taken across the border to lawless Somalia.
In bad news, a group calling themselves the Islamic Maghreb sect of Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for holding two Canadian diplomats and four other Westerners captive in Niger. The diplomats were seized in mid-December and the other four, all tourists, were taken in January.
A 7-year-old boy who had been abducted in the southern Philippines was freed when police chased down his kidnappers. The chase led to an exchange of gunfire, killing one of the hostage-takers. Young Alson Porticos is only the latest hostage to be seized in the Basilan area. Three Red Cross workers (pictured) remain in captivity, as does a Sri Lankan aid worker, Umar Jaleel, seized last week. The latter are all alleged to be in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Meanwhile, Muslims and Christians rallied in Sulu province on Sunday to demand an end to violent crime and kidnapping.
Following a depressing week in Pakistan, the release of a Chinese engineer kidnapped five months ago is a welcome respite. The Taliban holding the man called it a goodwill gesture, though it is unclear whether it also relates to the ceasefire agreed between the Pakistani government and Taliban over the weekend. Long Xiaowei is reported to be in good health.
American John Solecki, abducted in Quetta two weeks back, is the latest hostage to face threats of beheading in Pakistan. A video alleging to show the UN official surfaced yesterday and sources are attempting to verify its authenticity. In the video, a blindfolded man states that he is ill and asks UN officials to “solve the problems” so that he might be released. A separate letter delivered to the media contained the specific threat of killing the hostage. Given the recent murder of a Polish geologist in Pakistan, the threat should be taken very seriously. The Balochistan Liberation United Front claims to be behind Solecki’s capture.
Journalism continues to be a dangerous profession, and 2008 was no exception. This week, the Committee to Protect Journalists released its worldwide survey describing the many attacks on journalists in the previous year.
Kidnapping featured often among the threats: among the incidents the report uncovers, two journalists in Brazil were kidnapped and tortured while working undercover on a crime story; at least three foreign correspondents and two local reporters were abducted in Afghanistan; six kidnappings of reporters were recorded in Iraq; and an editor was taken hostage and beheaded in Sudan.
Posted by radiocaptivity 
Posted by radiocaptivity 
Posted by radiocaptivity 
