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HOSTAGES GO FREE, BUT AT WHAT PRICE? With money believed to have been paid to the Abu Sayyaf,
the problem is far from over because the rebels could use it to buy arms and recruit
members
By LUZ BAGUIORO
PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT
AN END to the kidnap drama may
be at hand in the coming weeks with the piecemeal release of some of the 38 hostages held
by the Muslim gunmen, even as sources claim that ransoms were paid.
Four Malaysians and two
Filipino school-teachers held in the dense jungles of Jolo were freed yesterday, bringing
to 10 the total number of captives released since the crisis began on April 23.
The rebel group had promised to
release all seven remaining Malaysians but this was scuttled when an Abu Sayyaf faction
handed over four of them earlier this week to a businessman-friend of Philippine President
Joseph Estrada.
Although Manila and foreign
governments with captive nationals in Jolo deny it, sources close to the negotiators
revealed that the freed captives were all released for a ransom.
The Abu Sayyaf is reckoned to
have so far ripped off close to US$4 million (S$7 million).
About US$1 million was believed
to have been paid for the release last Monday of ailing German teacher Renate Wallert,
while US$3 million was reportedly given to redeem the group of nine Malaysian hostages.
In addition, the rebels have
been charging journalists who wish to interview them or their captives as much as US$5,000
per person, or even detain them briefly for ransom.
They also strip journalists of
valuables such as rings, watches, cell phones and even their shoes.
The kidnappers are reportedly
demanding a larger ransom from Kuala Lumpur, prompting another Abu Sayyaf faction to hold
on to three Malaysian captives.
Even if the other hostages are
eventually freed, ""it will not be the end of the story,'' Professor Julkipli
Wadi of the University of the Philippines' Islamic Studies Centre said.
""By paying ransom,
the government is giving money to the Abu Sayyaf to buy arms and recruit members. It is
encouraging them to continue with their kidnapping activities,'' he added.
With about 30 hostages --
including a South African couple, a French couple, 13 Christian preachers, a French
television crew of three, a German journalist and a Lebanese woman -- still in their
custody, the rebels clearly have a rich haul.
The Abu Sayyaf, formed in the
early 1990s as a Muslim fundamentalist group espousing the creation of an independent
Islamic state, has resorted to plain banditry in recent years to sustain itself.
Despite the group's claims,
authorities and analysts insist that the kidnap is not politically-motivated.
""Money is the basic
motive, so they can buy arms and expand their group,'' Mr Wadi said.
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