/ stevenwarran's Library/ Notes/ July 22, 2000, The Philippine Star, Sayyaf frees 4 Malaysians 2 teachers,
July 22, 2000, The Philippine Star, Sayyaf frees 4 Malaysians 2 teachers,
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July 22, 2000, The Philippine Star, Sayyaf frees 4 Malaysians 2 teachers,
JOLO, Sulu -- An apparent squabble over huge ransom payments is splitting the Abu Sayyaf and muddling negotiations for the release of the group's hostages. An Abu Sayyaf commander reportedly snatched four of seven Malaysian hostages from rival Ghalib Andang, alias Commander Robot, then released the four to a group led by former presidential adviser Dee Ping Wee.
Vincent Kwong, Lee Hock Liong, Francis Masangkin and Balaksrishnan Nair were freed by Abu Sayyaf commander Radulan Sajiron on a beach near Patikul town in Sulu at dawn yesterday. Andang reportedly planned to release all the seven Malaysians to presidential adviser Robert Aventajado, who heads the government team negotiating for the release of the Abu Sayyaf's hostages.
This developed as a third Abu Sayyaf leader released two Filipino school teachers to a local official in Patikul. Reports reaching Zamboanga City said Teresita Academia and Erlinda Manuel were handed to Sulu Vice Gov. Munib Estino by Abu Ahmad Sabaya, another Abu Sayyaf commander. The two teachers were the last hostages from an original group of over 70 who were snatched last March 20 in Basilan. The other day, high school student Richard Sintos, also from Basilan, was released.
Sources monitoring the hostage crisis said Andang initially wanted to free all of the seven Malaysians who were part of the 21 captives the Muslim extremists seized from a resort in Sabah on April 23. However, Sajiron reportedly "hijacked" four of the Malaysians and handed them to emissaries of Dee Ping Wee, a businessman friend of President Estrada.
Malaysian Ambassador Arshad Hussein said he was pleased at the release of the four but could not fully rejoice. "While there is reason to rejoice today, it is not the time to celebrate yet unless all the hostages similarly regain their freedom," he said.
Sources said Aventajado was angry that Lee, who has business interests in Mindanao and in Sabah, bypassed him by going directly to the President for permission to negotiate the handover. Aventajado reportedly shut down the Jolo airport and prevented a Sabah Air plane from flying out the freed captives direct to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia. The plane instead flew the Malaysians to Manila.
Aventajado had argued that he feared the release would be aborted because Lee insisted on using emissaries "not approved by Commander Robot." He opted to downplay, though, his apparent turf war with Lee, saying he had already resolved their disagreement. He later publicly thanked Lee, describing him as "my coordinator" in the negotiations. "I don't care who gets the credit because the important thing is to resolve this problem as soon as possible," he said.
Many factions
In Manila, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said the Abu Sayyaf has "so many factions" and that these factions may actually be quarreling over ransom. He did not discount the possibility that a ransom was paid for the release of the four Malaysians.
"If there were ransoms paid, we do not know about it. But this does not mean it's not happening. It is possible that a Malaysian or a Malaysian businessman may have paid ransom," he explained. Commander Robot's group freed Monday ailing German hostage Renate Wallert after releasing two other Malaysians earlier.
On Thursday, a third faction led by Khadafy Janjalani released a boy, one of the three Filipinos his group abducted from Basilan. Sources said the flurry of activity has netted the Abu Sayyaf $4 million, though no one among the six countries whose citizens were among the captives had admitted to paying ransom.
Commander Robot's faction still holds five French citizens including three journalists, three Malaysians, two Germans, two Finns, two South Africans, Lebanese woman, and 15 Filipinos including 13 preachers. Except for the journalists and the preachers, all were snatched from the Sipadan diving resort in Sabah.
Janjalani's faction, on the other hand, released two Filipino teachers yesterday while a "lost command" led by a former Janjalani aide still has in its custody a German journalist of Der Spiegel magazine.
No info
The four Malaysians were unkempt and long-haired, were shod in flip-flops and carried sacks with mementos of their 89-day captivity. Questioned on the whereabouts of three other Malaysians and the 10 Finnish, French, German, Lebanese and South African tourists who were also abducted on April 23 with them in the Malaysian resort of Sipadan, the four said, "we don't have any idea now."
Ambassador Hussein noted that based on Aventajado's report, "The time is not far before the hostages can be safely released to bring this unfortunate crisis to an end." Aventajado refused to give a timetable for the release of the other captives. "We are trying to move as fast as we can but don't want to have a time frame."
He said he could not explain why the gunmen decided to retain three other Malaysians. Shu Fa Fong, a pilot, flew to Jolo early Friday after being told, wrongly, that his son Ken was among the four freed (See related story). "I know how he feels," Aventajado said, before telling Fong to wait further: "I guess you have to wait, captain, so that we can release your son also." Aventajado said Commander Robot had told him that the women would be released ahead of the men.
"I don't know whether the women will be released all together or one by one depending on the result of the negotiations," he said. Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan told reporters government emissaries had been advised that five more hostages would be freed "in the next few days," but did not identify them. Sabah's former chief minister Yong Teck Lee, who accompanied the hostages' relatives to Jolo, told reporters he was "optimistic" there would be "more releases in a short while."--AFP, Marichu Villanueva, Paolo Romero, Rey Arquiza, Roel Pareño, AP and Reuters
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