No hostage beheaded after Sayyaf deadline lapsed - gov

Published March 31, 2009 7:08pm

Highlights in the 10-week hostage crisis in Sulu Jan. 15 â€” Gunmen abduct Red Cross workers Italian Eugenio Vagni, Swiss Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba on Jolo island after visiting a water sanitation project at the provincial jail. Jan. 16 â€” Hostages call colleagues to say they were unharmed. Jan. 20 â€” Philippine military chief rejects a demand from the kidnappers to halt rescue operations. Jan. 26 â€” The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has again made contact with the hostages and they are "composed and calm." Jan. 28 â€” Abu Sayyaf commanders Albader Parad and Abu Pula demand "education and development projects" for impoverished Muslim communities in exchange for the hostages. Feb. 1 â€” Kidnappers demand that troops withdraw from the area as a condition for the release. Feb. 5 â€” In a radio interview, the hostages appeal to authorities to negotiate for their freedom. Feb. 6 â€” Parad tells a television network they will not negotiate unless government troops leave their area. Feb. 9 â€” Kidnappers try to break through a military cordon outside Indanan township on Jolo, setting off a clash that wounds five Philippine marines. March 16 â€” Officials say Philippine marines again clash with Parad's group, wounding him. A total of five marines and seven militants are killed. The hostages are unharmed. March 19 â€” The military pulls back from an Abu Sayyaf stronghold in exchange for a pledge of freedom for one hostage. Parad threatens to kill all three if the military launches a new attack. March 21 â€” Philippine Red Cross chief says the militants have reneged on an agreement to free a hostage and are demanding a larger military pullout from Jolo. March 25 â€” Parad threatens to behead one of the hostages in one week's time unless government troops pull back. March 28 â€” Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno says troops have pulled back but rules out a larger withdrawal. March 30 â€” Parad sets 2 p.m. Tuesday deadline for the beheading of a Red Cross hostage. March 31 â€” The Sulu governor declares state of emergency as deadline expires. - AP

MANILA, Philippines - No one was beheaded, at least as of posting time. All the three Red Cross workers abducted by the Abu Sayyaf remain safe, hours after the expiration of the deadline set by the al Qaeda-linked bandits, according to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan. The deadline ended at 2 p.m., Tuesday, and was reportedly extended to 3 p.m. The Abu Sayyaf gave an ultimatum to the government to pull out all its troops from 14 villages in four Sulu towns or the bandits would behead one of the hostages. "Ang pagkaka-alam natin ay wala namang sinaktan sa bihag...May nagsabi sa akin na nakausap naman nila at wala namang napugutan [What we know is nobody among the captives was hurt. I was informed that they had talked to the hostages and nobody was beheaded]," Tan said in an interview with radio dzBB early Tuesday night. Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Swiss Andreas Notter, and Italian Eugenio Vagni, all working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, were abducted last January 15 by a faction of the Abu Sayyaf led by Albader Parad. In his interview with GMA News' "24 Oras," also on Tuesday, Tan confirmed that another group was communicating with the abductors for the release of the Red Cross workers, and that his team had stopped negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf after he declared a state of emergency in Sulu. "Yun po ang usapan namin na hindi muna po ako makikipag-usap sa kanila dahil nagdeclare na ako ng state of emergency, [That was our agreement, that I would not talk to them for the mean time because I have declared state of emergency]", said Tan. He said he made the declaration for the protection of Sulu residents who could be affected by the Abu Sayyaf operations in the area. Deadline becomes irrelevant The deadline set by the Abu Sayyaf has become irrelevant after a state of emergency was declared in the province, according to Tan. "Yung deadline ng pagpull out ay wala na sa usapan. Lumagpas na po iyon [The deadline for the pullout has become insignificant. That has lapsed already]," Tan told GMANews.TV in an interview Tuesday night, adding that he never got information on whether the deadline had gone indefinitely. With Tan's declaration, the bandits had apparently been stripped of any option to negotiate with the government. In the declaration, the governor ordered authorities to "conduct general search and seizure, including arrest in the pursuit of the kidnappers and their supporters." Tan said he was able to talk to a certain Abu Ali earlier in the day [Tuesday]. The governor said he was told by Abu Ali that the Abu Sayyaf would push through with the beheading if the pullout would not materialize. "Today I talked to Abu Ali. Ang sinabi niya tutuloy pa rin ang balak pag di umalis ang tropa," [Today I talked to Abu Ali. He said they would push through with their plan if the troops would not pull out]," said Tan in his interview with dzBB Tuesday night. Talks 'torpedoed' The governor said the Abu Sayyaf wanted all government forces out of Sulu - all the brigade headquarters, battalion headquarters, fire-based headquarters, and checkpoints. He said the bandits wanted all the forces to be stationed only in two small municipalities near Jolo town. Tan said the government ended the negotiations and refused the demand because "it would compromise the security of the people and the province." Senator Richard Gordon hinted that somebody caused the collapse of the negotiations with the bandits. He said that in his last conversations with Parad, the latter "in effect gave me a name that supposedly torpedoed the talks." Gordon, however, refused to elaborate his statement to GMANews.TV on Tuesday night, because "its a very sensitive issue." According to the senator, the government could have rescued one of the three Red Cross workers had it not declared a state of emergency. Gordon said a lawmaker was supposed to have trekked up to the Abu Sayyafâ€™s lair to save one of the captives. â€œAakyat sana si Rep. [Yusop] Jikiri pagkatapos ng pag-atras ibibigay na and then babalik na pababa para mag-usap [Jikiri was supposed to have went up to the Abu Sayyaf lair and fetch one of the hostages]," Gordon said. - GMANews.TV

Tags: abusayyaf, redcross, ICRC, internationalcommitteeoftheredcross