Abus release 10 Indonesian hostages

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Ten Indonesian sailors kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf were freed yesterday after five weeks in captivity.

Officials said emissaries dropped off the 10 tugboat crewmen at the home of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan Jr. in Jolo during a heavy midday downpour.

“The report (of their release) is confirmed. They were there. I saw them,” Jolo police director Supt. Junpikar Sitin said.

“They appeared tired but were in high spirits,” he added.

Sitin said the group ate lunch at the governor’s home.

Sources said a huge ransom was paid in exchange for the freedom of the hostages but the military refused to provide information about the release.

Sitin also could not confirm if indeed ransom was paid.

Sitin added the 10 Indonesians were later brought to a hospital in Camp Teodulfo Bautista for medical check up.

The Abu Sayyaf intercepted the Taiwanese-owned tugboat MB Brama off Sabah and seized the 10 Indonesians while they were en route to Manila on March 26.

The militants are reported to have sought a P50-million ransom, but Sitin said he was unaware that any money had been paid. The Abu Sayyaf does not normally free hostages unless a ransom is paid.

The Indonesians were freed six days after the Abu Sayyaf beheaded Canadian John Ridsdel.

President Aquino vowed Wednesday to devote all his energy to crushing the group before he steps down in two months.

Authorities said the bandits are still holding 11 other foreign hostages – four Indonesians, four Malaysians, another Canadian, a Norwegian, a Dutchman and six locals.

The four Indonesians were separately taken by the Abu Sayyaf on April 15.

The Abu Sayyaf is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency in Mindanao that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since the 1970s.

It is believed to have just a few hundred militants but has withstood repeated US-backed military offensives against it, surviving by using the mountainous, jungle terrain of Sulu and nearby islands of Basilan to its advantage.

The bandit group’s network is deeply entrenched and efforts to flush out its fighters have proved to be a big challenge for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The lucrative kidnapping business has allowed Abu Sayyaf to invest in high-powered boats, weapons and modern communications equipment. With poverty and joblessness rife, it is able to recruit with ease.

Foreign ministers of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are due to meet in Jakarta this week to discuss ways to work together to secure key shipping routes in the waters between the three countries. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe