June 3, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Abu Sayyaf demands justified, says hostage, by Alexander Young,

June 3, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Abu Sayyaf demands justified, says hostage, by Alexander Young,

 

JOLO, Sulu--"Their demands are justified."

 

Scratching his beard, long and unkempt after more than a month in captivity, Finnish hostage Risto Mikro Jahanen defended the Abu Sayyaf group holding him and 20 other hostages in the hinterlands here.

 

"They have grounds for their demands. The government seems to have neglected this island; it's not like an island of this century. So we think that their demands are justified," Jahanen told reporters at the latest rebel hideout in Bandang, Talipao town. Jahanen does not blame the Abu Sayyaf for their woes, attributing the existence of the group to obvious injustices against the islanders.

 

"From what we have seen, I think they have grounds . . . especially lack of investment in this island," Jahanen explained, three days after government negotiators led by Robert Aventajado visited the captives in the Abu Sayyaf's jungle lair on May 27.

 

However, while agreeing with his captors' demands for an independent Islamic state and a commission to protect Filipino Muslims in Sabah, the Finn said that "their means are not justified at all."

 

Jahanen--along with another Finn, nine Malaysians, three Germans, three French, two South Africans and two Filipinos-was taken from the resort island of Sipadan in Malaysia nearly six weeks ago.

 

Jahanen said he harbored no ill will against the Abu Sayyaf, even describing his abductors as "friendly." "All of them have treated us correctly, so I think there is nothing to blame them for," he said. But he did not have the same kind words for the military.

 

"Actually, we have been afraid only of the military here and not the members of the (Abu Sayyaf) movement. They have been friendly. I think they have met the same hardships as we have when we didn't get water or we didn't get anything to eat but rice. We all suffered the same way," he said.

 

Furious

 

Jahanen expressed disappointment over the repeated delay in and the slow pace of talks for the hostages' release, saying: "We were actually furious at the local politicians.

 

"No one seemed to care about our destiny. We were just being used to collect political points; and the Islamic movement (seemed to be more interested in) having the press here and having the rations sent here than in negotiating." Aventajado's surprise visit to the hostages, however, raised their hopes. "Home. I like go home," were the only English words Jahanen's fellow Finn, Seppo Juhani Franti, could uster for the journalists. French hostage Sonia Wendling echoed Franti's optimism.

 

But Frenchman Stephane Loisy could not control his impatience. "I think (taking) more than a month (to hold) negotiations (means the government) is not serious. That's all I can say," he said, adding a couple of curses in French.

 

Radio

 

The hostages said their only contact with the outside world is an old and rickety radio.

 

"We have a radio here and we listen to the news, but we can't rely on that because, according to our experience, the radio news has not always told the truth" about the hostage situation, Jahanen said.

 

"During the first two weeks, we had perhaps half a liter of water to drink every day. We had to collect rainwater, but it wasn't raining often, so we really suffered from lack of water," Jahanen said.

 

He said, however, that they were grateful for the missions sent by the Red Cross and Red Crescent and for the donations sent by France and Germany.

 

"So now we can live," Jahanen said.

 

When the government negotiators visited the hostages, Abu Sayyaf leader Mujib Susukan handed Jahanen a letter from the president of Finland assuring the captives of their immediate release.

 

Even when Aventajado's team left the camp, Jahanen was still clutching the letter.

 

Need hospitalization At least two of the hostages need to be hospitalized immediately, provincial health officer Nelsa Amin said yesterday after leading a mission to check on the health of the captives.

 

Amin told reporters German housewife Renate Wallert was again in critical condition and was confined to a hammock in the rebel camp. She was initially reported to be suffering from hypertension, but was later said to have recovered.

 

But Amin said Wallert had complained of blood in her stool and other digestive troubles, while Loisy was experiencing psychological problems.

 

Loisy, Amin said, was an "unbalanced personality" who "looked at you fiercely and refused to talk to anybody."

 

There are no psychologists in Jolo, according to Amin. Of the others, a Malaysian hostage, Zulkamain Hashim, who had gastroenteritis, was bitten by a scorpion late on Thursday and had a high fever, while two other Malaysians were afflicted with asthma, Amin said.

 

South African hostage Monique Strydom, who was said to be pregnant, reported to Amin that the uterine bleeding she experienced on May 2 had stopped. The doctor did not have a pregnancy-testing kit.

 

Filipino hostage Laurencia Dablo was suffering from "body malaise," the doctor said.

 

Sick of press

 

Amin said she dispensed medicine to all the hostages with medical problems and made them sign for it. Armed with two boxes of medicine, Amin had gone to the rebel camp in an ambulance trailed by a convoy of journalists' vehicles.

 

Journalists have been visiting the camp nearly every other day for the past three weeks, according to the hostages, who said they were fed up talking to them.

 

"We don't want to be impolite but we are sick of it," Renate's husband Werner Wallert was quoted saying. Seppo said there were more Abu Sayyaf rebels around their camp in recent days amid reports that rebels from Basilan had crossed over to beef up the Sulu group's strength.

 

"They (the new arrivals) look at us like animals in a cage," he said. Eyewitnesses said they saw several men from the provincial governor's office putting up a hut for the hostages, apparently to shelter them from strong rains experienced in recent days.

 

The hostages are staying in a tent made of canvas and sack with bamboo floor but no walls. With a report from AFP