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24 June 2000 - AFP

GO-AHEAD GIVEN FOR FOOD, MEDICINE FOR SOME PHILIPPINE HOSTAGES

JOLO, Philippines (AFP) - A Malaysian Red Crescent mission has been given the go-ahead to resume food and medicine deliveries to Asian hostages held by Filipino Muslim extremists, mission members said Friday.

They said, however, that they had not yet received clearance to visit the westerners among the 21 hostages held by Abu Sayyaf rebels in southern Jolo island.

The Asian and western captives have been separated in an apparent attempt to make any rescue attempt more difficult.

The Red Crescent team said it was only authorized to visit the nine Malaysians and one Filipino among the hostages, but would try to press on and see the tourists who have not been visited by outsiders since June 10.

The four-member mission, accompanied by local health officials, is scheduled to visit the camp on Sunday after provincial governor Abdusakur Tan, one of the government negotiators for the hostages' freedom, returns to Jolo on Saturday after consultations in Manila.

Tan has overseen all previous medical visits and the delivery of supplies to the hostages.

The government last week suspended regular food supplies and medical visits to the hostages in a bid to force the Abu Sayyaf to bring the tourist hostages out of hiding.

Sources said that the go-ahead was given for the medical mission because emissaries visiting the Abu Sayyaf camp were given assurances that any supplies delivered would reach the tourists also.

The gunmen brought the two groups of hostages, earlier held far apart, under one camp this week and the westerners are now about 1.5 kilometers (about a mile) from the Asians.

Regular medical visits are considered vital as some of the hostages are ailing.

Among them is a German woman, Renate Wallert, who has been suffering from a number of physical problems but has not seen a doctor since June 2. Other hostages are reportedly suffering from psychological problems.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf warned they will kill their captives if the government stages a rescue attempt.

In an interview with a radio station in Zamboanga City, transcripts of which were obtained here Friday, Abu Sabaya, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf group, said "we are warning the government not to do again what they did in Basilan so no harm will come to the hostages."

He was referring to previous government attempts to rescue about 29 Filipino hostages held separately by the Abu Sayyaf in nearby Basilan island in May which resulted in the Abu Sayyaf killing four of the hostages.

The gunmen earlier beheaded two Filipino teachers among the hostages in a "message" to President Joseph Estrada.

Two Filipino school teachers and a schoolboy remain in Abu Sayyaf custody while the remaining hostages have been freed.

Abu Sabaya, who fled to Jolo from Basilan after the rescue attempt, warned the government against ignoring the remaining Filipino hostages in favour of the 21 hostages taken from a Malaysian resort on April 23.

"They must negotiate first over the local (hostages) and then we will start talking later about the 21 hostages," Abu Sabaya said.

"If nothing happens, this will be prolonged and we cannot prevent that some sort of example will be given to the government," Abu Sabaya said, apparently referring to further beheadings.

The 21 Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Lebanese, Malaysian and South African hostages were captured at the Malaysian resort of Sipadan on April 23 and shipped across the Celebes Sea to Jolo.

The Abu Sayyaf have made political demands for the release of the hostages such as the creation of an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but negotiators say they have informally asked for a 21-million-dollar ransom.

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