Release of Red Cross hostage praised

Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan and President Gloria Arroyo.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 03, 2009) – Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan of the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao praised the local government of Sulu for the safe release of a Filipino Abu Sayyaf hostage Mary Jean Lacaba.

Lacaba was freed by the Abu Sayyaf late Thursday in the town of Indanan after more than 70 days in captivity. Two others are still being held captive – Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni in Sulu’s jungle.

“I laud the LGU officials of Sulu, military and PNP for their efforts for the safe release of Lacaba,” Ampatuan said in a statement.

The Red Cross workers were kidnapped January 15 after they inspected a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town.

Ampatuan appealed to the Abu Sayyaf to release the remaining hostages. He also appealed for prayers for the safety of Notter and Vagni.

“I am appealing to all for more prayers for the safe release of the two remaining hostages still in the hands of the abductors,” he said.

Lacaba was released to Sulu Vice Governor Nur Anna Sahidulla, the government’s emissary to the Abu Sayyaf. The release of Lacaba came two days after Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, the head of the government task force negotiating for the freedom of the captives, declared a state of emergency in the province.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said Lacaba was freed because of the mounting military pressure and the campaign against terrorism after Tan’s declaration of the state of emergency.

Sulu is one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Six soldiers injured in Sayyaf Sulu ambush

Soldiers inspect the damaged military truck hit by an Abu Sayyaf landmine explosion Friday, April 03, 2009 in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. Six marines were wounded in the attack in the village of Danag in Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan)

Freed Filipino Red Cross hostage Mary Jean Lacaba in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 03, 2009) – At least six soldiers were injured in an Abu Sayyaf attack Friday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where militants are holding hostage two Red Cross workers.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of rescuing the captives, said the Abu Sayyaf detonated a landmine planted on a highway in the village of Danag in Patikul town as a truck transporting troops was passing.

“The soldiers are part of a security force guarding the highway to prevent the Abu Sayyaf from escaping a military cordon in Sulu,” Allaga told the Mindanao Examiner.

The attack came a day after the Abu Sayyaf freed Filipino Red Cross worker Mary Jean Lacaba in the jungle of Indanan town. Two other aid workers, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni remain in captivity in the group of Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad.

Allaga tagged an Abu Sayyaf faction headed by Radulan Sahiron as behind the latest attack. He said Sahiron’s group was trying to reinforce Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya (JI) militants holding the two hostages.

Military reports tagged JI militants Muawiyah, an Indian-Singaporean Muslim who also uses the alias Manobo; Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and probably Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both Javanese as among the Abu Sayyaf group holding the aid workers.

The fate of the two hostages remain unknown, but military and government officials negotiating with the Abu Sayyaf, said Notter and Vagni are alive.

Lacaba on Friday was fetched by Senator Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine National Red Cross, and brought to Manila where her anxious family and relatives were waiting.

The Red Cross workers were kidnapped January 15 in Patikul town where they inspected a humanitarian project. Lacaba was released late Thursday in Indanan town to Sulu Vice Governor Nur Anna Sahidulla, who is the government’s emissary to the Abu Sayyaf.
Sahidula said she was contacted by the Abu Sayyaf.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, head of the government task force working for the safe release of the aid workers, has declared a state of emergency in the province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf terrorists free Filipino Red Cross hostage

Freed Red Cross hostage Mary Jean Lacaba with Sulu Vice Governor Nur Anna Sahidulla in Sulu province after her release from the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan).

Italian Eugenio Vagni, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filpino Mary Jean Lacaba.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 02, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists have freed Thursday one of three Red Cross hostages in the southern province of Sulu, Philippine Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro said.

He said Filipino engineer Mary Jean Lacaba was released and taken to a marine base in Jolo town. There were no reports about the fate of two others captives – Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian doctor Eugenio Vagni – who were kidnapped in Sulu’s Patikul town on January 15.

“I have received a text message from (Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff) General (Alexander) Yano that Mary Jean Lacaba was released and that she’s been brought by (Sulu) Vice Governor Lady Ann Sahidullah and Colonel Gene Clement to the headquarters of Joint Task Force Comet,” Teodoro said in a television interview late Thursday.

No other details were made available about Lacaba’s freedom or her health condition, but her release was the result of government negotiations led by Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini earlier on Thursday said all the hostages are alive after they made contact with Vagni.

“Based on elements we have gathered we can say that they are still alive. These elements include contacts with our conational,” Frattini said.He added that the foreign ministry was in constant contact with the International Red Cross and that ''there must be no interference with their mediation efforts.” (Mindanao Examiner)

Italy makes contact with Sayyaf hostage in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 02, 2009) – Three Red Cross workers kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf terrorists are all alive, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said they were able to talk to Italian Eugenio Vagni, one of the hostages. “They are alive according to information in our possession,” he said.

Vagni and Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba, who work for the International Committee of the Red Cross, were kidnapped January 15 after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town.

Unconfirmed reports in Sulu on Wednesday said the Abu Sayyaf shot Notter in the head and killed or probably injured after he tried to escape from his captors. Journalists covering the hostage crisis in Sulu also received the same reports from this cell phone number +639277083148.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of rescuing the hostages, said the reports of Notter’s death could be part of the strategy of the Abu Sayyaf to divert the attention of the authorities.

Allaga said all the hostages are probably alive. “It’s difficult to believe every single report in Sulu at this time, but there are indications all the hostages are still alive,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines succumbs to terrorist demands, pulls out troops around Sulu jungle lair

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Exzaminer / Mar. 28, 2009) – The Philippines on Saturday finally surrendered to Abu Sayyaf demands to pull out troops near its jungle lair or terrorists would behead one of three Red Cross hostages in Sulu province.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno was quoted by local journalists as saying that troops will pull out beginning Saturday from the jungle stronghold of Abu Sayyaf terrorists where the aid workers are being held captive.

The trio – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – were kidnapped January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison in the town of Patikul.

An Abu Sayyaf leader, Albader Parad, have threatened to behead one hostage if security forces are not pulled out from the town until end of this month.

Troops, policemen and armed village guards have put up a cordon in Indanan town to prevent the terrorists from escaping with their hostages.

“We are giving them a breathing space where they feel safe to negotiate,” Puno said, referring to the Abu Sayyaf. “I think we are more than bending over backwards in order that the kidnappers will not feel threatened.”

Puno made a brief stopover in Zamboanga City on his way to Sulu province with Gov. Sakur Tan for a meeting with senior police and military officials.

Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police chief, said they are waiting for orders whether to pull out or not. “We just take orders from our superiors and if they wanted us to pull back, then there is no problem with us and we can maintain intelligence operations to monitor the movements of the kidnappers,” he said.

Kasim said they have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may kill Vagni if security forces are not pulled out in Indanan town. He said the terrorists issued an ultimatum until end of March for security forces to withdraw from the town.

The Abu Sayyaf last week also threatened to behead hostages after two days of clashes that left three soldiers dead and 23 others wounded. Parad was also wounded in the fighting and warned that they will kill the hostage if clashes erupt again or if troops get near them.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, ignored phone calls from journalists, while Col. Eugenio Clemen, marine commander in Sulu, declined to give any statement about the pull out of soldiers from Indanan and so was Col. Ernesto Torres, the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to where the hostages belong has appealed again to the Abu Sayyaf to free the Notter, Vagni and Lacaba.

Appearing on a 34-second video on the ICRC website, Jakob Kellenberger, the ICRC's president, appealed to the kidnappers to free the trio.

“I am very concerned by the threats of the kidnappers,” Kellenberger said in a rare appearance. “I am asking for their safe, unconditional and immediate release.”

The appeal was in response to threats made by the Abu Sayyaf that they will kill one of the ICRC captives if their demand for a pull back of troops goes unmet.

”The sole purpose of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas' work is to give help to those in need. It is impossible to understand what the kidnappers could possibly achieve by hurting them. Harming a humanitarian aid worker cannot be justified under any ideology or religious law,” Kellenberger said in the video, behind him a world map showing red dots where the ICRC is operating.

The ICRC said Kellenberger spoke with Philippine Executive Secretary, Eduardo Ermita, and asked him to ensure that the authorities do everything in their power to save the lives of the hostages, while avoiding any action that could put their lives at risk.

”The ICRC's priority is that Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas remain safe and that they be able to return to their families, who miss them desperately. Their children, parents, siblings, spouses, friends and colleagues will not give up hope of seeing them again soon,” Kellenberger said.

The television network ABS-CBN also showed a video footage of the hostages sitting together and surrounded by their captors, many of them clad in military uniforms and wearing ski masks.

Two of the guards were holding a black banner with Arabic inscriptions similar to what the terrorist group al-Qaeda show in their propaganda videos.

Filipino military intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.

Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.

Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.

The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner)

Search for 3 kidnapped Red Cross staff in the Philippines enters second week

Governor Sakur joins a police patrol in the town of Jolo in the southern Filipino island of Sulu, where suspected Abu Sayyaf militants seized January 15, 2009 three aid workers - a Swiss national Andreas Notyter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba - who are working for the Internatioanl Commiittee of the Red Cross. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 22, 2009) – Filipino troops continue to search for three aid workers kidnapped in the southern island of Sulu as the rescue operation entered its second week with no signs of the hostages.

The three – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – are being held by Abu Sayyaf militants with links to the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.

They were seized January 15 in Patikul town after inspecting a water and sanitation project a prison facility. A dismissed jail guard was also implicated in the kidnapping, police said, quoting reports from witnesses.

The International Committee of the Red Cross to which the victims are working for is calling for the unconditional release of the hostages.

“I appeal to those who are holding Mary-Jean, Andreas and Eugenio to let them go as quickly as possible,” Alain Aeschlimann, the ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific in Geneva, said on Thursday. “We want to have them back safe and sound. Their children, spouses, parents, siblings and loved ones are anxious and waiting for them to come home.”The ICRC has been in contact with the three staff members several times since they were kidnapped and the last time the three were able to call was on January 19. ”We hope that we'll hear their voices again soon and that they remain unharmed,” Aeschlimann said. “We also continue to hope that this difficult situation will have a positive outcome.”

The ICRC said it has no direct contacts with the kidnappers and ruled out paying ransom in exchange for the safe release of the victims.

But Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, head of the local crisis task force, said the kidnappers were probably dictating the hostages on what to tell the ICRC. “The victims should not allow themselves become the mouthpiece of the kidnappers,” he said.

Tan said the Task Force-ICRC, composed of the military, police and provincial and national government agencies, are working hard to resolve the crisis soon.

“The task force is still strategizing its move to safely recover the innocent victims and to end this kidnapping incident soon. We cannot reveal tactical matters because this could jeopardize the whole efforts of the task force,” he said.

Tan also appealed to the media not to speculate or report false information about the kidnapping crisis. “Every false report adds to the burden of anxious families (of the hostages). We want to assure the families that we are doing everything to resolve this problem,” he said.

Foreign media, which quoted unnamed Filipino military officials, have reported last week the kidnappers demanded $5 million ransom, but the ICRC denied this.

“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. That 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,” said Jean-Daniel Tauxe, ICRC’s head of delegation in Manila.

“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,” Tauxe said.

“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,” he said.

Authorities said the hostages are being held by Abu Sayyaf leaders Albader Parad and Abu Pula, who were both former Moro National Liberation Front rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)

No ransom demand for kidnapped workers in the Philippines: ICRC

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)

ICRC wants safe and unconditional return of abducted staff

MANILA, Philippines - The International Committee of the Red Cross continues to hope for the safe and swift return of its three abducted staff in the southern Philippines.

Since 16 January, Mary-Jean Lacaba, Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter have been able to contact the ICRC several times by phone. The ICRC’s head of delegation in Manila, Jean-Daniel Tauxe, explains how the organization is responding to the crisis and the various challenges involved.

The ICRC has heard from its kidnapped colleagues several times since they were seized on Sulu Island. How are they doing?

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.

There are reports circulating in the media that the kidnappers have opened talks for negotiating a release and have demanded five million dollars in ransom money. Can you confirm this?

Let me first respond by underlining that we would like the safe and unconditional return of our colleagues as quickly as possible.

Regarding the rumours in the media, they are just that: rumours. As far as I am aware, they are false rumours. We have not had any direct contact with the people who are holding Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas.

That said, the ICRC cannot just disregard rumours 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 rumours. That simply wouldn’t be helpful.

In addition, in these times of instantaneous worldwide communication, we are very concerned about the effect that rumours, 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 rumours can unleash. Here in the Philippines we are trying to do the same thing for the family of our Filipina colleague.

Do you expect this incident to have an impact on the ICRC’s operations in the southern Philippines?

The ICRC fully expects to continue its assistance and protection activities in the conflict-affected areas. We’ve been working in the country since 1982. We carry out a range of activities, including visits to detainees to ensure they are treated well and have access to water and sanitation facilities.

We also continue to respond to the needs of people who remain displaced in significant numbers in central Mindanao. This work is done in cooperation with the Philippine National Red Cross Society, whose dedicated volunteers distribute items such as rice, soap and cooking oil, and follow up on the population's needs. We also provide support for medical facilities that are working to treat those who have been injured or made sick as a direct or indirect result of the fighting.

In addition, the ICRC works to ensure that the displaced have access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. This is an extremely important part of what we do because it has a direct impact on people’s health and well-being. When people have clean water to drink and proper toilets, it greatly decreases the chances of disease spreading.

Mary-Jean and Eugenio are both water and habitat specialists for the ICRC and were working on a water and sanitation project at the Jolo provincial jail when they were snatched along with Andreas.

Their expertise and experience enable the ICRC to provide the right kind of help to people in need, whether in evacuation areas or in detention centres. We sincerely hope that Mary-Jean, Eugenio and Andreas will be returned to us soon so that they can continue helping the conflict-affected population in the southern Philippines. For the time being, because of their abduction, we are unable to carry out our water and sanitation project at the Jolo provincial jail, but the rest of our activities continue.

Abu Sayyaf demands $5-M for ICRC hostages in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 18, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf militants holding three Red Cross members are planning to demand five million dollars in exchange for the freedom of the hostages, reports said Sunday.

The Deutsche Press Agentur quoted unidentified Filipino military intelligence officials who said the militants, led by Albader Parad and Abu Pula, were planning to ransom off the hostages. It was unknown how the military knew about the plan and the German news agency gave no details about the military report.

But the International Committee of the Red Cross to which the three belong said it would not pay ransom to the kidnappers holding the trio – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba - in the hinterlands of Sulu province.

The aid organization said the hostages made a phone call on Friday and said they are unharmed.

“The three abducted colleagues have been able to call the International Committee of the Red Cross directly and they said that they are unharmed, so that’s good news. And there is no further information available on their whereabouts precisely or who is holding them,” Roland Bigler, ICRC spokesman in Manila, said.

Bigler appealed to the kidnappers to free the hostages.

“We hope that they will be shortly and safely released and they will regain their freedom and we appeal of course to respect their physical integrity, to respect their lives and to respect these three colleagues,” Bigler said.

The hostages are also believed to be the dense jungle of Indanan town, where Parad has recently married a local woman and is building a new house for himself and his wife.

Parad was also linked to the kidnapping December 13 of a Chinese trader, Xili Wu alias Peter Go, in Sulu’s Jolo town.

Parad’s group seized the 28-year old Wu, from Fujian province, as he was closing his electronics store. Police said Wu, along with five other Chinese men, arrived in Jolo in December 2007 and since then operated the Perlas Trading by using fake Filipino identities.

Authorities have tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind the spate of kidnappings and bomb attacks across Mindanao. The group, made up mostly of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels, has been labeled a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, and is believed to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network and Jemaah Islamiya.

Pula, a former MNLF rebel, is said to be harboring Jemaah Islamiya bomb experts Umar Patek and the one-named Dulmatin, two Indonesians who fled to the southern Philippines after the 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali. The military said the two foreigners continue to provide combat and bomb-making training to the Abu Sayyaf.

The U.S. has offered as much as five million dollars for the capture of known Abu Sayyaf leaders and up to ten million dollars for Dulmatin’s capture and another one million dollars for Patek’s head.

Dulmatin is an electronics specialist who has trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, and is a senior figure in the organization. Patek is believed to have been actively involved in the Bali bombings. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnapped Red Cross workers make phone call to aid group in the Philippines

Kidnapped ICRC workers Eugenio Vagni, Andreas Notter and Jean Lacaba.

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 17, 2009) - Three Red Cross workers kidnapped in the southern Philippines have contacted their mission and military efforts to rescue them proved more harder as hundreds of troops continue their search for the hostages being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday the trio - Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba - made contact, but no details about the phone call were made public.

The three were seized by gunmen on January 15 on their way to the airport after visiting a prison facility in the town of Patikul. A former prison guard, Raden Abu, and an Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad, were implicated in the kidnappings, authorities told the Mindanao Examiner. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine military imposes news blackout on Red Cross kidnappings

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 17, 2000) – The Philippine military has imposed Saturday a news blackout on the ongoing operation to free three Red Cross members kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network.

Hundreds of troops are tracking down the Abu Sayyaf and their captives Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Marie Jean Lacaba, all members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who inspected a prison facility in the town of Patikul last week.

Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr has said the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf was hampered by the kidnappings. Authorities have tagged Albader Parad, a commander of the Abu Sayyaf group, and a former jail guard Raden Abu, in the kidnapping of the ICRC team on Thursday.

On Saturday, the military’s Western Mindanao Command said it will not anymore release any information about the progress of the rescue mission. US troops, backed by unmanned aerial vehicles, are already helping the local military in the operation in Sulu, military sources said.

Security officials refused to give details or progress of the rescue operation, saying, it could jeopardize the whole mission and put the lives of the hostages at risk.

“Please be informed that for the time being, the Western Mindanao Command will not be able to provide updates regarding the ICRC abduction incident. This is not a media blackout, but rather a precaution to ensure the safety of the victims is not jeopardized.”

“However, be assured that should there be some major developments in the case, you will be accordingly informed. We hope four your continued support and understanding, especially at this time when information is critical and could spell the difference between success or failure of our efforts to safely bring home the victims,” said Army Lt. Steffani Cacho, spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.

The kidnappers have not demanded any ransom, but the ICRC in Manila said it has received reliable information that the hostages are alive.

The trio arrived January 13 in Sulu province to inspect humanitarian works at the prison in Patikul, according to Teodoro. He said the ICRC team had refused military escorts, saying, they would go to rebel camps, including the Abu Sayyaf, and brief them about the International Humanitarian Law.

ICRC spokesman Roland Bigler said the victims were visiting the provincial jail, carrying out a water and sanitation project to improve the conditions of detainees.

“The ICRC people intimated to me that the reason also they do not want an armed escorts because they will go the MILF, the MNLF and the ASG to teach them the IHL,” he said, referring to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf groups.

Police said the hostages were last spotted in the hinterlands of Maimbung, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf. “We have reports that then kidnappers have taken their captives to the hinterlands of Maimbung. We have put up blocking forces in the area while troops are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and their hostages,” said Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the Sulu police said.

The Abu Sayyaf has been labeled as a terrorist organization by both Manila and the United States. It has been tagged as behind many kidnappings-for-ransom and bombings in the restive region of the southern Philippines.

The group was also behind the abduction of 21 European tourists and Asian workers from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan in 2000 and ransomed them off for millions of dollars which was used to purchase weapons and finance terrorism in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

 

ICRC kidnappings hamper military operations vs. Sayyaf in the southern Philippines

Philippine Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro is welcomed Friday, January 16, 2009 at the Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City. Teodoro flew to Sulu province and met with Governor Sakur Tan and senior military and police commanders and was briefed on the progress of the rescue operation for three kidnapped Red Cross members - Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Marie Jean Lacaba - seized Thursday by gunmen after visiting a prison facility in Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 16, 2000) – Government operations against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group has been hampered by the kidnappings of three Red Cross members in Sulu province in the southern Philippine, Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro said Friday.

Gunmen kidnapped Thursday Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Marie Jean Lacaba, all members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who inspected a prison facility in the town of Patikul.

Police linked the Abu Sayyaf group to the kidnappings, but the military said a former prison guard was among those who snatched the trio.

“There is an eye witness who pointed to the former jail guard as involved in the kidnapping. And base on the pattern of activity there (in Sulu), money could be the motive behind the kidnapping,” Teodoro said in Zamboanga City after visiting Sulu province.

Teodoro said the trio, who arrived January 13 in Sulu province, refused military escorts, saying, they would go to rebel camps, including the Abu Sayyaf, and brief them about the International Humanitarian Law.

“The ICRC people intimated to me that the reason also they do not want an armed escorts because they will go the MILF, the MNLF and the ASG to teach them the IHL,” he said.

Teodoro was referring to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf groups.

He said he met with Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and senior military and police commanders and discussed the ongoing rescue operation in Sulu, where hundreds of troops are searching for the victims.

Teodoro said there has been no demand for ransom. “We will not negotiate with the kidnappers. We have a strict no-ransom policy,” he said.

He likened the kidnappers to international pirates who do not recognize neutral organizations such as the Red Cross. “They do not respect anybody, much more the Red Cross, and they (kidnappers) are like international pirates that prey on hapless people,” he said.

Police said the victims were believed taken to the hinterlands of Maimbung, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf. “We have reports that then kidnappers have taken their captives to the hinterlands of Maimbung. We have put up blocking forces in the area while troops are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and their hostages,” said Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the Sulu police said.

ICRC spokesman Roland Bigler said the victims were visiting the provincial jail, carrying out a water and sanitation project to improve the conditions of detainees. He said that despite the abductions, the ICRC will still continue its various humanitarian works in the southern Philippines.

Authorities tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind many kidnappings-for-ransom and deadly attacks in the southern Philippines. The group was also behind the abduction of 21 European tourists and Asian workers from a Malaysian resort island of Sipadan in 2000 and three Americans in 2001 in central Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf, tuluyan ng isinabit sa ICRC kidnapping sa Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 16, 2000) – Tuluyan ng isinabit ng pulisya ang grupong Abu Sayyaf sa kidnapping ng tatlong miyembro ng International Committee of the Red Cross sa lalawigan ng Sulu.

Sinabi ni Sulu police chief Julasirim Kasim na posibleng sabit ang grupo ni Commander Albader Parad sa kidnapping nina Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni at Pilipinang si Marie Jean Lacaba. Dinukot ang tatlo matapos na bumisita sa bilangguan sa bayan ng Patikul kamakalawa.

“May intelligence report na tayo na nagsasabing may kinalaman ang grupo nina Albader Parad sa kidnapping. Patuloy ang rescue operation natin at ipinag-utos ni (Sulu) Gov. Sakur Tan na gawin ang lahat upang makuha ang tatlo ICRC members,” ani Kasim.

Isinabit naman ng militar ang dating jail warden ng bilangguan na umano’y may kinalaman sa kidnapping, ngunit tumanggi naman ibigay ng mga opisyal ang panagalan nito dahil sa patuloy na operation.

Galit na galit naman si Tan sa naganap na kidnapping dahil sa kahihiyaang idinulot nito, partikular na ang mga biktima ay isang neutral organization. “Hindi namin sila titigilan at kailangan ay ibalik nila sa amin ang mga biktima,” wika pa ni Tan sa hiwalay na panayam sa telepono.

Personal naman na tinututukan ni Tan ang progreso ng rescue operation na isinasagawa ng militar at pulisya. Maging ang mga mayor sa kalapit na bayan ng Patikul ay ipinatawag na rin kahapon ni Tan upang pulungin at lalong paigtingin ang paghahanap kina Notter, Vagni at Lacaba.

Isang malapit kay Tan ang nagsabing oras-oras na tinatawagan nito ang mga commander ng militar at pulisya at mga mayors at inaalam ang progreso ng paghahanap. Inaabot rin umano ng gabi sa bayan ng Patikul si Tan dahil sa pagbabantay nito sa operation. (Mindanao Examiner)

Red Cross team seized in southern Philippines

The International Committee of the Red Cross released this undated photo of Swiss Andreas Notter, who was kidnapped along with Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba, all members of the ICRC, on Thursday, January 15, 2009 in Patikul town in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (ICRC, HO).

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 15, 2009) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels abducted Thursday 3 members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Filipino island of Sulu, officials said.

The trio – Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba – were seized near Patikul town, said Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan. “I have ordered police and military forces to pursue the abductors. There will be no let-up in this operation,” he said.

Tan, chairman of the local crisis management committee, said provincial guards and security forces have recovered the Red Cross vehicle on a village in Patikul. “We will not stop until we get them back safely,” said Tan, who is supervising the rescue operation in Patikul town.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said the ICRC team was inspecting humanitarian works in Sulu when they were seized on the road. “It must have been a chance opportunity for the abductors,” he said.

The military said it tried to stop the ICRC workers from going unescorted to Patikul, but they insisted. “They were duly advised about the security situation in the island, but being a neutral organization, had denied (military) armed escorts,” said Lt. Stefanni Cacho, a regional army spokeswoman.

Cacho said there is a probability the Abu Sayyaf was behind the abduction.

Tan had previously ordered the police and military to escort foreigners and journalists working in Sulu because of threats of kidnappings by Abu Sayyaf rebels after they snatched a Filipino television presenter Ces Drilon and her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, including their guide Prof. Octavio Dinampo while on a clandestine coverage on June 8 last year.

The four were freed weeks later after private negotiators paid P20 million ransom.

Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding a kidnapped a Chinese trader, Xili Wu alias Peter Go, in Sulu since last month. Four militants seized the 28-year old Wu, from Fujian province, as he was closing his electronics store in Jolo town on December 13.

Police said Wu, along with five other Chinese men, arrived in Jolo in December 2007 and since then operated the Perlas Trading by using fake Filipino identities.

Authorities tagged the Abu Sayyaf group as behind the spate of kidnappings and bomb attacks across Mindanao. The Abu Sayyaf, which means "The Bearer of the Sword," has been labeled a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, and is believed by the US to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network. (Mindanao Examiner)