Philippine hostage makes contact
MANILA, (AFP)
One of three Red Cross workers being held by militants in the
southern Philippines has re-established contact more than a week after
the group was last heard from, a report said Saturday.
Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, 37, said life in captivity was tough for
her and colleagues Eugenio Vagni of Italy and Andreas Notter of
Switzerland and called on government negotiators to step up efforts to
secure their release.
The three have been held in captivity in the jungle on southern Jolo
island for 44 days. They were seized by Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf
gunmen on January 15 while on a humanitarian mission.
"Please tell them, if possible, if they can, to quicken the process,"
Lacaba told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, referring to negotiators. "It
has become very hard and truly painful. Physically and emotionally, it's
really very, very hard."
The Inquirer said Lacaba's voice was "low and trembling" when she was
allowed by her captors to speak with one of their reporters on Thursday.
She said she and Vagni, 62, were also having bouts of diarrhoea.
The kidnappers have not publicly demanded ransom in exchange for the
release of the three hostages but have made certain political demands
known, according to a local crisis team on Jolo.
Previous abductions carried out by the Abu Sayyaf have, however,
involved millions of dollars in ransom payments.
International Committee of the Red Cross head of operations for Asia
Alain Aeschlimann on Friday said the organisation last made contact with
the hostages the previous week and was concerned about their health.
The military says the kidnappers are cordoned off in an area of
jungle on Jolo. It said it has not yet launched an all-out assault to
free the hostages to allow for a local crisis team to negotiate.
The Abu Sayyaf is a small gang of Islamic militants that once
received funding from Osama bin Laden. It is blamed for the Philippines'
worst terrorist attacks, and is on the US government's list of foreign
terrorist organisations.
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