April 19, 2000, PHNO, Rebuffed, Sayyaf to Behead 2 Male Hostages Today,

Zamboanga City, April 19, 2000 - Muslim rebels belonging to the Abu Sayyaf group announced on radio yesterday they would decapitate two male hostages this afternoon as a "birthday gift" to President Estrada for rejecting their demand for the release of three Arab terrorists jailed in the United States. The group is still holding 29 hostages, mostly school children, on Basilan Island.

"We will execute two male hostages at 3 p.m. (today) as a birthday gift to President Joseph Estrada," said Abu Ahmad, spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf. "If Malacañang wants to order a military operation, then we will wait. We will start killing the hostages.”

Yesterday, the US issued a statement rejecting the Abu Sayyaf's demand to free the three jailed militants, and vowed to protect Americans in the Philippines whom the terrorists are threatening to kidnap or kill.

"The United States does not concede to threats or demands made by terrorists," the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement. "We have seen reports of this terrorist group's demands and take all threats against American citizens seriously."

The US Embassy also advised Americans to avoid traveling to Basilan and to exercise caution.

The Abu Sayyaf vowed to kill or kidnap Americans in the country Monday President Estrada dismissed their demands and threatened to send in the Armed Forces.

Around 100,000 Americans are in the country, with an undetermined number of them living in Mindanao and the Visayas.

The 29 remaining hostages are believed to include 22 children, several teachers, and a Catholic priest. They were among more than 50 people abducted last March 20 but the others have since been freed.

National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre told reporters yesterday the government's policy was first to exhaust all peaceful means to secure the hostage's release.

"Of course, we have prepared and considered other options...That is already a last resort," he said.

Aguirre challenged the Abu Sayyaf to stop involving innocent women and children in their terrorist activities.

"If they want to fight the government, we have the military and the police to fight against, but let us not harm civilians," he said.

Philippine National Police Chief Panfilo Lacson said the terrorists' threat was a ploy to gain international attention and to secure financial support from other terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

Lacson said the police was ready to provide security assistance to all foreigners in Mindanao following the Abu Sayyaf's threat to kill Americans in the country.

"It is standard operating procedure for us," he said. "We are mandated to protect the lives of everybody in the country whether there is a threat or not."

In General Santos City, Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Daisy Avance-Fuentes said the latest developments were slowly showing the Abu Sayyaf's "true color" that they are nothing but criminals.

"They have been acting like criminals," she said. "I think the government should seriously consider another approach to this problem."

Fuentes said the government was not inclined to make a compromise in dealing with the terrorists and that it was unfortunate that they were still holding 29 hostages.

"They should not expect any money from the government, (which is) of course the money of the people," she said. "There is no room for any compromise for the Abu Sayyaf as far as I am concerned."