ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 19, 2009) – The International Committee of the Red Cross denied media reports that kidnappers were demanding five million dollars in exchange for three kidnapped workers in Sulu province.
The German press agency earlier reported that kidnappers were planning to ask the ransom for the safe release of Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba. It quoted military officials in the report.
The three were seized January 15 in Patikul town after inspecting water and sanitation projects at the provincial jail.
Senator Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, said the kidnappers, who contacted the aid agency Monday, only wanted a halt in the military pursuit operation in Sulu.Jean-Daniel Tauxe, ICRC's head of delegation in Manila, said they continue to hope for the safe release of the hostages.
Tauxe has confirmed the hostages phoned the ICRC over the weekend. “We talked to all three of them during the weekend. We were first contacted by them on Friday. This was followed by other calls from the three over the past few days.”
“Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas all say they are in good health. From what we understand, they are being held together. It's always good to hear their voices and, of course, we remain concerned for their safety and hope they will be back with their loved ones soon,” he said in a statement posted at the ICRC website on Monday.
He said the ICRC wants the safe and unconditional return of the three hostages. He said the ICRC have no direct contact with the kidnappers and expressed concern over false reports in the media.
“Regarding the rumors in the media, they are just that: rumors. As far as I am aware, they are false rumors. We have not had any direct contact with the people who are holding Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas,” he said. “The ICRC cannot just disregard rumors like this. We are doing our best to check on their possible accuracy through a range of contacts.”
“This is obviously a high-profile case and there is a lot of media attention surrounding it. Sometimes, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction. What we know for sure is that the three are alive, and we want their safe return. I am not in a position to comment further as I do not want to jeopardize our colleagues' safety, nor do I want to speculate on rumors. That simply wouldn't be helpful.”
“In addition, in these times of instantaneous worldwide communication, we are very concerned about the effect that rumors, conveyed by media, may have on the families of our kidnapped colleagues. Because of the time difference, and the difficulty for the families living in other parts of the world to understand aspects of the incident relating specifically to the Philippines, our colleagues at Geneva headquarters are doing their best to protect the families from the incredible stress that rumors can unleash. Here in the Philippines we are trying to do the same thing for the family of our Filipina colleague,” Tauxe said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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