HOSTAGE VESSEL TRACED TO ISLAND OFF SULU
By Faber Concepcion
Siasi, Sulu – Military sleuths got
their first intelligence break in the long-running hostage saga last week as residents
bared the presence of several Abu Sayyaf rebels on the island of Pandami, this
island’s twin, in Sulu’s second district.
Witnesses here also told authorities that
residents of Pandami, which lies half-way between the Sulu mainland and Tawi-Tawi, were
actually the ones who seized 21 Asian and western hostages from the Malaysian resort
island of Sipadan last April 23.
They reportedly held the hostages on Tapaan,
a smaller island fronting Pandami’s southern coast, before bringing them to Patikul
town.
Sources said the fast craft used in bringing
the hostages from Sipadan is still at an islet just off Pandami, where “new
custodians” are standing guard.
“They (hostages and captors)
first landed in the island of Malanta, but later transferred to Tapaan Island where they
stayed during the night, said a town official who requested anonymity.
He said Tapaan residents, mostly fisher
folk, did not know the foreigners who arrived aboard a jungkung (dive boat) were hostages.
They did notice the boat was more of the kind used in Malaysia and not the usual vessel
found in Sulu waters.
“They were told the hostages were only
beach tourists who wanted to see the southern islands,” he added.
No release
Meanwhile, the Abu Sayyaf postponed the
promised release of two Filipino school teachers and a teenage boy they have held captive
for more than three months, Sulu local officials said.
Abu Sayyaf militia had sent a message to
local officials through an emissary that they would release the hostages, the last of
those abducted from a raid on two high schools on the island of Basilan in March.
But they later said the release would not
take place until Monday, the officials said. “The group has decided to release these
three but the mechanics are still being worked out,” said one official, who asked his
name not to be used.
Monique Strydom, a South African woman among
the Sipadan hostages, suffered a miscarriage earlier in the week, according to a rebel
leader.
Erma Canprezo, a senior nurse in Jolo town
who examined Strydom when the rebels allowed the captives to receive medical attention,
said that if the report was true, the South African woman needed immediate
hospitalization.
Guerrilla leader Ghalib Andang reiterated
after telling local reporters of Strydom’s miscarriage on Friday that the rebels
would not allow any medical supplies, food or doctors to reach the white hostages.
“We are preventing medical supplies
from reaching the whites so the government will be forced to expedite negotiations,”
he said.
Different abductors
The original abductors of the Sipadan
hostages are residents of Pandami who frequently travel to Sipadan and other Malaysian
islands like Sandakan and Tawau, a Siasi source said.
He said Abu Sayyaf leaders Ghalib Andang
alias Commander Robot, Mujib Susukan and others now negotiating with government officials
for the release of hostages, never went to Sipadan.
“Another group executed the plan, not
the group of Robot and other rebel leaders who have claimed responsibility for the
kidnapping,” he added.
But he said the Abu Sayyaf helped plan the
kidnapping, and collected logistics for prolonged negotiations.
The Pandami men were close allies of the Abu
Sayyaf, the source said. While on Tapaan island, they contacted the Abu Sayyaf rebels in
Patikul to announce their success.
A speedcraft from the mainland arrived to
take the hostages the following day.
The source said the vessel was left on a
nearby island under the care of a barangay official.
Bashier Titong, a resident of Barangay
Malanta in Pandami said most island folk were innocent.
“We did not know they were kidnap
hostages. We thought they were merely tourists who wanted to take a look at the beautiful
and clean beaches we have,” he said, adding that they were used to visitors.
According to Bashier, the kidnappers
reportedly sought permission from a certain Murphy, a barangay leader of Mimul, Pandami,
before taking the hostages to Tapaan.
Another source said fast craft’s
caretaker hid it inside a mangrove area.
“It is well guarded. They have covered
it with leaves,” lawmen also quoted an informant as saying.
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