June 30, 2000, The Philippine Star, OIC urges Abu Sayyaf to release all hostages, by Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado,

June 30, 2000, The Philippine Star, OIC urges Abu Sayyaf to release all hostages, by Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado, 

The influential Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) scolded the Abu Sayyaf yesterday and urged the extremist Muslim group to release all its remaining mostly foreign hostages.

"Even if they aspired for some vindication, political or otherwise, this should not be the kind of behavior," the Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted outgoing OIC Chairman Youssouf Quedraogo as saying. "We think the best way is to release all of them," Quedraogo stressed. The OIC earlier called on Muslim minorities to respect the laws and sovereignty of their respective countries. But the Abu Sayyaf reiterated it will reject the Philippine government's offer of an expanded autonomy and continue its fight for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

The group's hardline position was contained in a statement intended for the 56-member OIC which is currently meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The letter did not mention the 20 hostages the Abu Sayyaf has been holding in its jungle lair in Talipao town in Jolo and three Filipino teachers in the nearby island province of Basilan. "We will never compromise our birth right to rule our homeland," the statement, signed by six Abu Sayyaf leaders, said.

The extremists also said they are opposed to a federal system of government as proposed by some senators.  One Malaysian captive was released last week in what government officials said was a "gesture of goodwill" by the by the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

Meanwhile, Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, a member of the government panel negotiating for the release of the hostages in Sulu, said he has refused to allow a group of Christian fundamentalists to visit the Abu Sayyaf lair to persuade the kidnappers to free their captives. Tan said if the Jesus Miracle Crusade (JMC) led by Wilde Almeda insisted on going to the Abu Sayyaf lair, they would be on their own. The JMC reportedly offered $3,000 and 50 sacks of rice to gain entry into the Abu Sayyaf lair and conduct a prayer meeting in the area.

However, the Abu Sayyaf rejected unofficial emissaries and demanded that only one government team should talk with them.

The call for a single channel of negotiations came as France, Germany and Finland were reportedly under pressure to follow Malaysia's move to launch backdoor talks for the victim's freedom.

Abu Sayyaf senior leader Galib Andang alias Commander Robot urged the Estrada administration to speed up the negotiations, saying several of the foreigners have been sick after more than two months in captivity due to hunger.

"The government must send only one team so as not to hamper the negotiations," Andang said in a tape- recorded message sent to the local media.

"We will not listen to others who boast they could win the release of the hostages," he added.

The government negotiating panel headed by Presidential Adviser on Flagship Programs Roberto Aventajado was still trying to set a second meeting with the kidnappers.

So far, the two panels officially met only once, last May 27, but no significant headway has been attained. Andang and some of his comrades have asked for $1 million in ransom for each of the hostages, but other leaders of the kidnap group made political demands, including the setting up of a separate Bangsa Moro state in the South. The Abu Sayyaf has also offered to swap the remaining eight Malaysian hostages with an elderly Filipino Muslim serving life term on drug charges in Malaysia.

Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who is currently in Geneva, Switzerland said the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Finland have told her the unexpected release of Malaysian hostage Zulkurnain bin Hashim has put pressure on their respective governments to effect the release of their nationals using backdoor channels.

The reason for Zulkurnain's release had remained unclear, with both governments of Malaysia and the Philippines denying any ransom payment.

Arroyo said she had discussed with the three European nationals the possibility of offering development aid or humanitarian assistance to Jolo instead of ransom.

In Manila, visiting British Foreign Minister of State John Battle announced an emergency assistance aid worth P16 million for people displaced by the fighting in Mindanao. The fund will be dispensed mainly through OXFAM, a British non-government organization which has been working in refugee shelters in Mindanao.

Andang said the release of the remaining hostages depended on the Estrada administration.

He also asked journalists to stop visiting their camp where the captives were stying.

Apart from the eight Malaysians, still being held by the Abu Sayyaf are a German family of three, a South African couple, two French nationals, two Finns, two Filipinos and a Lebanese.

The victims were seized on April 23 from the famous Malaysian resort of Sipadan, then taken by boat across the sea border to nearby Jolo.

Top Abu Sayyaf leaders, among their chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and his spokesman, Abu Asmad Salayuddi, reportedly met the other day in Barangay Bandang in Talipao to discuss the fate of the 20 hostages.

"They seem to be cooking up something," the source said. Others who attended the secret meeting were Andang, Abu Sayyaf chief of staff Sahiron Radullah, Mujib Susukan, Abu Jumdain, Nadzmi Sadalla alias Commander Global, Jumdain Sajirul alias Black Killer, Ustadz Ommal Sahibul and Paradja Said.

Another source said the kidnappers were planning to set free six of the 20 hostages, mostly like all Malaysians in a bid to appease the Malaysian authorities.

The Philippine Navy apprehended over the weekend two fishing boats off Sulu in an attempt to prove to the Abu Sayyaf that the government is enforcing the ban on commercial fishing in the rich waters of the island. Commodore Elonor Padre identified the fishing boats as F/B Sailor I and F/B Sailor II.

In another development, police authorities have placed the entire Southern Mindanao region under double red alert amid threats of more bomb attacks following the spate of explosions in General Santos City last Saturday.

"We are not taking things for granted. We could not be just sit down and wait things to happen. We have put our men on double red alert," said Senior Inspector Matthew Baccay, spokesman for the Southern Mindano regional police command.

Security measures were intensified in public places such as markets, churches, schools, shopping malls, sea ports and the Davao International Airport.