12 July 2000 - ABS-CBN

JOLO, (ABS-CBN) - A woman claiming to be a freelance journalist cut off one of her fingers and sent it with a letter to two Abu Sayyaf leaders on Monday, in a bid to free one of the 20 mostly foreign hostages of the terrorist group in Jolo, Sulu.

Using her own blood in writing the message, 35-year-old Lea Cabullo appealed to Mujib Susukan and Galib Andang alias Commander Robot to release ailing German hostage Renate Wallert.

Cabullo sent the severed left middle finger and the message through an emissary of Andang.

Cabullo refused to talk to reporters to explain her act, but only said that what she did was a symbolic gesture of her sincerity to see the ailing Wallert freed.

As the hostage crisis entered its eleventh week, Islamic rebels have made public their demands for the ransom of at least one of the hostages.

Recently, Renate's husband Werner wrote to the government to allow the payment of ransom for their freedom. Both are in their late 50's.

Renate's spouse said he has already suffered a heart attack and his wife is extremely sick.

The ransom was set at $900,000, but the government continues to stand by its no-ransom policy.

Only one Malaysian hostage, Hashim Zulkarnian, was freed among the original 21 hostages, as a gift to the Malaysian government.

Besides the 20 remaining hostages, the Abu Sayaff is holding captive evangelist Wilde Almeda and 12 of his preachers, and three French journalists.

Chief government negotiator Robert Aventajado said German journalist Andreas Lorenz was abducted not by the Abu sayyaf but by a lost rebel command.

Warning to journalists
To prevent further abductions, Sulu governor Abdusakur Tan advised local and foreign journalists to take extra caution in covering the Sulu hostage crisis.

He said reports have it that the Abu Sayyaf is now targeting members of the media

"We should learn from these three cases of journalists being held hostage and I don't think this ever happened in other parts of the world," he said. "It is only happening here where even journalists are being held hostage."

Foreign affairs secretary Domingo Siazon, for his part, stressed that the Philippine government has been trying to discourage both foreign and local journalists from visiting Sulu.

Siazon also lamented that the journalists are making life very difficult for Aventajado.

"The hostages are increasing in number instead of decreasing", he said.

He disclosed that local authorities and the Armed Forces Southern Command will have to control the perimeter of the Abu Sayaff's lair.

Malaysian ambassador Arshad said the Malaysian government wants to be assured that the Philippine government can actually implement the ban.

But the French embassy empathized with the journalists, saying they have given French journalists warnings which were ignored.

"The French are very attached to the freedom of the press just as Filipinos are," he said.

Among the hostages are eight Malaysians, two French, three Germans, two Finns, two South Africans, one Lebanese, and two Filipinos.

(With reports from Mandy Francisco and the Associated Press)

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