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Sayyaf dissatisfied, asks for more pullouts in Sulu towns
Third demand. DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno shows a map to give an update on the latest Sulu abduction. Unsatisfied with the limited pullout, the Abu Sayyaf Sunday night asked the government for more pullouts.
Abu Sayyaf kidnappings November 14, 1993: The Abu Sayyaf Group kidnapped American missionary Charles Watson in Sulu. He was released less than one month later. 1996: Abu Sayyaf abducted American missionary Greg Williams in Cebu. He was tortured and deprived of food and water; he was also forced to watch the beheading of a friend. He escaped after 13 days in captivity. March 20, 2000 (Tumahubong kidnapping): Abu Sayyaf kidnapped several teachers and students from two schools in Tumahubong, Sumisip, Basilan. Among the kidnap victims were Claretian priest Fr. Rhoel Gallardo and three teachers who were found dead on May 3, 2000; their bodies bore signs of torture. April 23, 2000 (Sipadan kidnapping): Using high-powered speedboats, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 people -- 19 foreigners and two Filipinos -- from a dive resort in Sipadan, Malaysia. The hostages were brought to Sulu. Most of the hostages were released in the following months; the last hostage, Roland Ulla (Filipino), was able to escape on June 6, 2003. July 2000: Television evangelist Wilde Almeda and some of his Jesus Miracle Crusade "prayer warriors" presented themselves at the Abu Sayyaf lair in Jolo, Sulu, to pray over the Sipadan hostages. However, the preachers themselves became captives; they were rescued by the military 3 1/2 months later. August 28, 2000: Abu Sayyaf held American Jeffrey Schilling hostage. Schilling was rescued by the military during a brief encounter with his kidnappers on April 12, 2001, in Luuk, Sulu. May 27, 2001 (Dos Palmas kidnapping): Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 20 foreign and local tourists from the Dos Palmas Beach Resort in Palawan. The hostages, including Americans Guillermo Sobero, Martin Burnham and Gracia Burnham, were brought to Basilan. The kidnapping incident provoked a large scale military operation to rescue the hostages. Among the American captives, only Gracia survived; Sobero was beheaded, while Martin was killed during a rescue attempt. June 2, 2001 (Lamitan Siege): Catching the military by surprise, the Abu Sayyaf entered the town proper of Lamitan, Basilan with their hostages in tow. They occupied the Dr. Jose Torres Memorial Hospital and St. Peter's Church compound. Although surrounded by government troops, the Abu Sayyaf managed to escape from the compound with many of the Dos Palmas hostages and some new ones, including Filipino nurse, Ediborah Yap. August 20, 2002: Abu Sayyaf abducted six Jehovah's Witnesses and their Muslim guides in Sulu. Two of the kidnapped preachers were later beheaded, their severed heads dumped near a public market in Jolo. - GMA News Research
Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Italian Eugenio Vagni, and Swiss Andreas Notter, all working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, were abducted by the bandits last January 15. More of Sulu The latest demand indicates that the Abu Sayyaf – who wants to rule in 13 Mindanao provinces outside of the control of the predominantly Catholic Philippine government – wanted more of Sulu. The bandits insist the pullout of troops from 14 villages in four towns - six villages in Indanan town, four in Patikul, and two each in the towns of Maimbung and Parang. The government, however, thinks the demand is impractical because the pullout cannot be implemented in just a day. "Their [new] demand is impossible to complete within 24 hours. It is difficult to complete even within 48 hours," Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said, adding that the recently completed pullout of government forces for the second demand, which ended Sunday night, took one and a half days to complete. The bandit group originally set the deadline at 5 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, but later extended it to 2 p.m. the same day. Rethink demand Puno said demanding the military to conduct a pullout in a major military base such as the one in Datu Bato Island in Sulu was like ordering police officers and personnel in Manila to evacuate its headquarters in Camp Crame in a day. Puno is requesting the Abu Sayyaf faction led by Commander Albader Parad to further extend the deadline. "I am calling on the camp of the kidnappers to rethink their deadline tomorrow of 2 p.m. and rethink their demands." “We know that they are no longer under threat of any kind of offensive action from anybody," he added. The DILG chief also said that that the Abu Sayyaf’s latest demand for a larger military pullout could only encourage more kidnappings across the country. "I am not sure it is fair to give up an entire province every time anybody is kidnapped. If we encourage everybody anywhere to kidnap someone then we fail," Puno said. "We have constantly thought of ways to be reasonable and compliant with even the most difficult demands and [Sulu] Gov. Abdusakur Tan has been very cautious in his outlook. Sen. Richard Gordon has been persistent in trying to listen to calls. He has been very reasonable," Puno said. Testing the government Senator Rodolfo Biazon thinks that the Abu Sayyaf is testing the strength of the government. Heeding the demand of the bandits will jeopardize the security of the people in Sulu, according to the lawmaker. "Definitely we cannot abandon the whole of Jolo on the say so of a terrorist group. I think that we are now witnessing a test by the terrorists of the government’s resolve in the implementation of its national policies on kidnapping situations," he said. The senator, a former military chief, said the government should just continue with the negotiations. "If this cannot be resolved peacefully the only option left is to mount a rescue operation." - Mark Merueñas and Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV 
