Ordeal of hostages ends, humiliation of
Philippines continues
MANILA, Sept 10 (AFP) - For the
Western hostages kidnapped from a Malaysian resort in April, lengthy captivity in the
hands of Filipino Muslim extremists has ended, but for the Philippine government the
embarassment continues.
Frenchman Stephane Loisy, 34,
Finns Risto Vahanen, 47, and Seppo Fraenti, 51, and German Marc Wallert, 27, were finally
released in the southern island of Jolo on Saturday, more than four months after they were
abducted by the Abu Sayyaf group.
"The last four and a half
months have been a extended nightmare for the victims, for their families and the whole
country," said chief negotiator Roberto Aventajado shortly after the release.
But Aventajado, special adviser
to President Joseph Estrada, added that Manila's task was far from over as three
foreigners and more than a dozen Filipinos were still held captive by the Abu Sayyaf.
In a jab at critics who have
scorned his prolonged negotiations and the government's failure to end the crisis
decisively, Aventajado emphasized that none of the hostages have been killed so far,
remarking "one life is worth all the talking and waiting."
The Philippines meanwhile has
seen its international image take an extended beating, with tourists shunning the country
and business confidence wounded by the government's seeming impotence.
"I have lost half a year
in that hell and in constant fear of death," said Fraenti after his release, adding
that many of the hostages had been close to committing suicide during their detention.
He and nine other Finnish,
French, South African, German and Franco-Lebanese tourists were enjoying a vacation in
Sipadan, a resort in the Malaysian state of Sabah known for its world-class diving
attractions, in April when heavily-armed Abu Sayyaf members forced them into speedboats.
Nine Malaysians and two
Filipinos, either government employees or resort personnel, were also kidnapped.
The captives were taken across
the sea border to Jolo, an impoverished, violence-ridden isle inhabited by bandit groups
and warlords, where the Abu Sayyaf have been kidnapping people for ransom for years.
The hostages were forced to
live in flimsy huts, drinking stream water and eating a thin diet of rootcrops and rice.
Initially, the Philippine
military and police forcefully pursued the kidnappers, prompting the Abu Sayyaf to force
the hostages to constantly move at night to new hideouts.
But this ended as the European
governments put diplomatic pressure on Manila not to do anything that might endanger their
nationals.
Military and police patrols
were pulled back, a move which only emboldened the kidnappers to seize more hostages
including foreign and local journalists covering the crisis and a dozen Christian
preachers praying for the hostages.
The gunmen initially made
grandiose political demands but it soon became obvious that money was their real target.
Manila insisted that it had a
no-ransom policy but officials later admitted they could not stop other parties from
paying.
Malaysian politicians and local
businessmen with ties to Malaysia soon sent their own emissaries to the Abu Sayyaf.
Not surprisingly, the Malaysian
hostages were among the first to walk free.
The military later said the
kidnappers netted about 5.5 million dollars in ransom and the Abu Sayyaf grew in size and
strength as their wealth paid for new weapons and attracted new recruits.
Libya, which has a record of
supporting Muslim armed groups in the southern Philippines, became involved as Libyan
strongman Colonel Moamar Kadhafi saw an opportunity to improve his international image by
obtaining the release of the Westerners.
On the record, Libya offered 25
million dollars in development aid for Muslim areas in the Philippines. Sources however
said a ransom of as much as a million dollars per Westerner was secretly paid to the
kidnappers.
At least twice, government
emissaries were ready to receive the hostages only to be told that the ransom was not
enough, sources said.
Eventually, despite a bloody
shoot-out between the Abu Sayyaf factions over the ransom money on Saturday, the 10
Westerners, nine Malaysians and one Filipino were freed, leaving only a Filipino diving
instructor as the sole hostage remaining from the Malaysian resort.
Just when it seemed that the
crisis was nearing a resolution, on August 28, American Jeffrey Schilling, walked into an
Abu Sayyaf camp and promptly became the latest hostage -- and the Philippines' newest
headache.
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