| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Philippines: Militants free three teachers in south |
| 2009-05-27 |
| [ADN Kronos] Militants from the Islamist Abu Sayyaf group on Tuesday freed three teachers kidnapped in the southern Philippines after four months in capitivity. The move is certain to raise hopes for Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni who was in January kidnapped by Al-Qaeda linked militants believed to be from the same group. The three young teachers, Quizon Freires, Janette Delos Reyes, and Rafael Mayonado, were released in Zamboanga City in southern Mindanao province. The trio had been kidnapped at sea in January while returning by boat on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan province. The kidnappers had demanded a hefty ransom for their safe release. Radio station dxRZ in Zamboanga City reported that the hostages were released through the efforts of a private negotiator in the town of Mohamad Ajul. Local media reports said neither the military nor police officials had given any statement about the release of the hostages and telephone calls from journalists were either ignored or went unanswered. Other reports said an unspecified ransom had allegedly been paid to the Al-Qaeda linked Philippines group Abu Sayyaf. The families of the hostages had previously approached a rival separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, after accusing the government of failing to help them secure the release of the trio. The release of the hostages came a week after Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded a kidnapped farm owner Doroteo Gonzalez in Basilan's Akbar town. His body was not recovered. Gonzales, 61, was snatched from his house on 25 April in the village of Buenavista in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan by his captors. Gonzales was killed after his family failed to pay a multimillion ransom. Sixty-two year-old Red Cross aid worker Eugenio Vagni was kidnapped with Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba on the island of Jolo on 15 January but Lacaba and Notter have since been released. The abduction of the Red Cross personnel was the most high-profile kidnapping of foreign nationals since 2001, when two dozen tourists were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants from an island resort in the western Philippines. One of the Americans was beheaded, a second was killed during a military operation and the third was rescued. |
| Posted by:Fred |