| ABU SAYYAF
WANTS NEW EMISSARY, HOLDS ON TO MALAYSIANS MALACAÑANG, (ABS-CBN) - Another change in the government's set of
emissaries.
This is the latest demand of Abu Sayyaf bandits relayed by
their leader Galib Andang alias Commander Robot to government chief negotiator Robert
Aventajado.
The demand puts on hold the release of three remaining
Malaysian hostages anticipated since last week.
Aventajado disclosed that Andang prefers a certain emissary
code-named "Dragon" before the Malaysians are freed among 14 remaining hostages
of the bandits.
"Dragon" is reportedly the same person used by the
government for the release of German hostage Renate Wallert.
"He woke me up at 6 a.m.,
basically telling me the emissary sent by my coordinator in Zamboanga was no longer
acceptable to him," Aventajado said.
"Instead, he said we'll
tap the one used for the release of Wallert. So I am sending this person at the latest
tomorrow," he added.
Andang's previously chosen
emissaries -- Yussof Andang and Jamil Hassan -- are no longer effective, Aventajado also
said.
Andang and Hassan were the same
persons who worked closely with former presidential adviser Lee Peng Wee, who figured last
week in a feud with Aventajado.
Wee had facilitated the release
of a total of six Malaysian hostages since last June 23, but Aventajado said his
co-negotiator had been acting on his own by using other emissaries.
An earlier agreement with
Andang specified the services of lawyers Alam and Hadji Mami, but Wee reportedly talked to
other Malaysian officials and insisted that his emissaries were more effective.
Due to the feud, Wee said he will resign as hostage crisis
negotiator soon after the remaining Malaysian hostages are released, even as he denied he
had a conflict with Aventajado.
Status of hostages
Aventajado said he will immediately fly to Zamboanga on
Thursday to spur the immediate release of the three remaining Malaysian hostages.
The hostages were to have been released last week with four others, according to an
agreement the bandits forged with government negotiators.
However, Sulu officials said
disagreement arose between Andang and other Abu Sayyaf leaders over the ransom amount and
the number of hostages to be freed.
The ransom for the remaining
three Malaysians has reportedly been raised by P15 to 20 million each, sources said.
This, on top of an alleged
$3-million ransom demanded for the release of all the Malaysian hostages.
The chief government negotiator
said he is hopeful that "we'll be able to find a solution for the release of the
three Malaysians."
Apart from the three Malaysians, the Abu Sayyaf is still
holding two Germans, two French and two Finnish nationals, a South African couple, two
Filipinos, a Lebanese, a three-man French television crew, and 13 Filipino Christian
preachers led by evangelist Wilde Almeda of the Jesus Miracle Crusade.
On the two ABS-CBN personnel seized by the ASG on Monday,
Malacañang confirmed that the group of Commander Radulan Sajiron's nephew, Monel Sajiron,
was behind the abduction.
Besides ABS-CBN cameraman Val Cuenca and researcher-writer
Maan Macapagal, Monel's group is believed to have also kidnapped missing German journalist
Andreas Lorenz.
Radulan and his nephew are enemies, press undersecretary Mike
Toledo said.
"They are not in good terms and it would seem that maybe
it was one of the reasons for the abduction."
Secretary Aventajado said
Andang confirmed that the kidnapped ABS-CBN crew were in Monel's custody.
Cuenca and Macapagal were
abducted Monday while returning from an interview with Radulan Sahiron in the hinterlands
of Patikul.
"Pinag-aaralan namin
ngayon ano ang magandang gawin diyan [We are now studying what options to take on the
matter.]," Aventajado said.
"Tomorrow when I go there
we'll make certain decisions," Aventajado added.
A P10-million ransom is
reportedly being asked by the ABS-CBN crew's kidnappers.
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