JOLO GUERILLAS FIGHT OVER THE FATE OF CHRISTIAN HOSTAGES
The quarrel almost turns
into a shootout when the factions cannot agree whether to kill the 13 Christian preachers
they are holding captive
JOLO -- Muslim guerillas in the
southern Philippines almost shot it out among themselves when one faction wanted to kill
13 Christian preachers among their captives, intelligence sources said here yesterday.
The military says the group,
led by flamboyant television evangelist Wilde Almeda, have been held captive together with
20 mostly foreign hostages seized by the Abu Sayyaf from a Malaysian resort on April 23.
A German journalist covering
the crisis, Mr Andreas Lorenz, 48, has also been detained by the guerillas.
The near shootout among the
rebels on Tuesday has further heightened tensions in Jolo, the authorities said.
According to sources, followers
of one Abu Sayyaf leader, Radulan Sajiron, confronted two other rebel leaders, Galib
Andang and Mujib Susukan, in their camp in Bandang town on Tuesday over the fate of the 13
preachers.
Sajiron's group demanded Andang
and Susukan turn over the preachers for ""liquidation'', sparking a heated
argument among the factions, with members pointing guns at each other, a security
intelligence source said.
The Sajiron followers were
later calmed, but their anger at the Christians will likely complicate any attempt to get
the preachers out of the rebel camp, sources said.
Sajiron, who has just one arm,
is a veteran guerilla fighter, and his followers are known to be more fanatical than those
of other factions.
The Abu Sayyaf, a coalition of
various armed groups who style themselves as independence fighters, have made political
demands as well as a ransom demand of US$1 million (S$1.7 million) for each of the 20
foreign hostages. The fate of the 20 remains unknown.
A government emissary, who
brought supplies for the Westerners in the group on Tuesday was not allowed to see them.
There has been no report so far
of any ransom demand for Mr Lorenz. --AFP
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