Sipadan Hostage News at e-Borneo.com

Sipadan/Pandanan Hostage Crisis

Sponsor Highlight

e-Borneo's Main PageBorneo NewsBorneo DirectoryTravel Borneo


10 October 2000 - AFP

15 kidnappers surrender in Philippines hostage island

JOLO, Philippines, Oct 10 (AFP) - Fifteen gunmen of a Muslim extremist group currently holding five hostages surrendered Tuesday as the Philippine military stepped up an assault in southern Jolo island to rescue the captives.

The Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebels surrendered unconditionally in a village near Talipao town, handing over 15 rifles, Colonel Romeo Tolentino, a senior official of the rescue effort, told AFP.

The gunmen told the army they were seaweed farmers who had been enticed to join the Abu Sayyaf by promises of high salaries.

Abu Sayyaf leaders are believed to have raised millions of dollars in ransoms from a five-month kidnapping spree in Malaysia and Jolo that involved western tourists, journalists, and local residents.

Five guerrillas surrendered on Saturday and revealed to the military locations of certain hideouts and secret passageways of the kidnapping group.

"We gathered a lot of information but we cannot disclose them," military spokesman Brigadier General Generoso Senga said Tuesday.

Based also on "good intelligence leads," the military would be able to gradually limit the hiding places of the Abu Sayyaf, Senga said on the fourth week of a military assault to rescue one American, one Filipino and three Malaysian hostages still being held captive by the rebels.

Since the operation was launched on September 16, 14 hostages -- two French journalists and 12 local Christian preachers -- have been freed.

The 15 gunmen who gave up on Tuesday appeared exhausted, wore dirty clothes, and looked starved for sleep. Many of them were barefoot while others wore muddied shoes.

One of the men, 50-year-old Sabduran Hamsi, told AFP he left behind a family including six children, who he has not seen since the army launched the Jolo rescue on September 16.

Meanwhile, Maru Hadjan, 47, said he was enticed by Abu Sayyaf leader Mujib Susukan to join the guerrillas, but added they were promised higher salaries than what they earned harvesting seaweed, but were short-changed.

The 15 said they were separated from Susukan's unit during its retreat from a military assault.

In a related development, two Malaysian businessmen reportedly arrived in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga to convince a Chinese trader-friend of President Joseph Estrada to help negotiate with the gunmen for the freedom of the Malaysian hostages.

The Malaysian officials were quoted by a local daily as asking the Philippine government to give the green light to businessman Lee Peng Wee to hold the talks.

Lee was instrumental in negotiating the freedom of several other Malaysian hostages earlier in the crisis.

But Malaysian ambassador Arshad Hussain said: "As far as I know, the government has not mandated any Malaysians to initiate any negotiations or get the assistance of anyone in the Philippines.

"At best, they are acting on their personal capacities and have nothing to do with the Malaysian government," he said.

Back to Sipadan/Pandanan Hostages News

Back to This Week's Borneo News


Info Sections -

Info Borneo Inside Borneo Inside Internet
Premier Services - Borneo Forum Classified Ads Online Chat Event Board Free Email Web Hosting
Electronic Cards Borneo Auction Borneo Quiz
E-Borneo Project - General Info Contribution Feedback Submit URL Mailing List Link to Us

Home  |  About e-Borneo  |  Announcement  |  Services  |  Bookmark Us  |  Disclaimer  |  Privacy Policy  |  Copyright  |  Contact

Copyright © 1999, 2000   e-Borneo.  All rights reserved worldwide