PHILIPPINES: PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS SIGNAL POSSIBLE MILITARY ASSAULT ON MOSLEM REBELS AFTER SEIZURE OF MORE HOSTAGES IN MALAYSIA
Record ID:
648889
PHILIPPINES: PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS SIGNAL POSSIBLE MILITARY ASSAULT ON MOSLEM REBELS AFTER SEIZURE OF MORE HOSTAGES IN MALAYSIA
- Title: PHILIPPINES: PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS SIGNAL POSSIBLE MILITARY ASSAULT ON MOSLEM REBELS AFTER SEIZURE OF MORE HOSTAGES IN MALAYSIA
- Date: 12th September 2000
- Summary: ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES (SEPTEMBER 12, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. LV: MILITARY PLANE AT EDWIN ANDREWS AIRBASE 0.05 2. SV: FILIPINO SOLDIER WALKS THROUGH GATE OF ANDREWS AIRBASE 0.11 3. CU: SIGN THAT READS "RED ALERT" (ENGLISH) 0.14 4. VARIOUS OF MILITARY PLANES AT ANDREWS AIRBASE (2 SHOTS) 0.25 MANILA, PHILIPPINES (SEPTEMBER 12, 2000) (REUTERS) 5. SLV: FILIPINO PRESS SECRETARY RICARDO PUNO AT NEWS CONFERENCE 0.28 6. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESS SECRETARY RICARDO PUNO SAYING (answering a question from a journalist about what options are left to the Philippines government) You are exactly right, the options are really getting limited. There are really very few other options that can be taken by the government and the (Moslem rebel group which took Malaysian hostages)Abu Sayyaf is forcing the government into these options despite the fact that the government has bent over backwards in trying to prevent that kind of a situation. You know, you get the good offices of a third party like Libya to try to resolve the matter in a peaceful way but, as you say also, there are negatives to that and there are problems there. Obviously we cannot be relying on third countries to solve our problems for us and we do not intend to let them solve our problems for us" 1.08 7. PAN: JOURNALISTS LISTENING 1.13 8. SCU: JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES 1.18 9. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESS SECRETARY RICARDO PUNO SAYING: "But what we're hoping is maybe this may just be a reaction, no? Maybe a reaction that was borne by the moment, but I hope he realises that every effort is being made to continue, I mean to start these discussions but he cannot keep on insisting on his own way of doing things." 1.40 10. WS: JOURNALISTS AT PUNO BRIEFING 1.45 ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES (SEPTEMBER 12, 2000)(REUTERS) 11. SV: EXTERIOR RADIO STATION "RADYO AGONG" 1.49 12. BACK OF RADIO PRESENTER LISTENING TO (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) MUSLIM REBEL KIDNAP LEADER ABU SABAYA SAYING:"If we kill Schilling, this will give the Americans a chance to move in and bring their military bases back to the Philippines." 2.01 13. RADIO PRESENTER (FRONT) LISTENING TO (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN KIDNAP VICTIM JEFFREY SCHILLING ON RADIO SAYING: "People of the Philippines, history has shown that when the United States of America offers military aid their intention is to open military bases. The United States will use this crisis as pretext to reopen their bases here in the Philippines and keep the Philippines free from other foreign influence, Jeffrey Schilling"/ RADIO PRESENTER ASKING QUESTION TO ABU SABAYA IN TAGALOG 2.32 14. VARIOUS OF SPEAKER/RADIO PRESENTER/RADIO CONTROLS/SPEAKER WITH AUDIO OF (SOUNDBITE) (Filipino) MUSLIM KIDNAP LEADER ABU SABAYA SAYING: "I am not certain, but Schilling told me he was used by the CIA. I don't think he is CIA, but if he claims that he is being used by the CIA, then he must be CIA. We have extracted so much information from Schilling because he knows now that he is being sacrificed by the US government. Why? They haven't even communicated with us for the release of Schilling." (6 SHOTS) 3.27 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th September 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ZAMBOANGA AND MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- Country: Philippines
- Reuters ID: LVA675A1DQGKLZZHG1TOCHL7KT05
- Story Text: Exasperated Philippine officials have signalled a
possible assault on Moslem rebels after they seized more
hostages in Malaysia and threatened to behead an American
captive.
The rash of kidnappings in the Philippines has led
officials to speak openly about a military assault on Abu
Sayyaf rebels now involved in fairly regular hostage-taking.
The Philippines military said it was ready to carry out a
rescue operation if political leaders ordered them to do so.
For months the Philippines have counselled patience and
tried to hold talks with rebels. Officials now believe this
approach was too soft and that the payment of millions of
dollars in ransom has merely encouraged further kidnappings.
The latest kidnap was almost an exact rerun of the April
23 abduction of 21 people, including 10 foreign tourists, from
the nearby Sipadan resort in Malaysia. Twenty of those victims
have been freed, the last four on Saturday.
One of the four freed men, Finn Risto Vahanen, said the
rebels raped some of the women during their months in
captivity.
Journalists at a briefing in Manila on Tuesday (September
12) asked chief government spokesman Ricardo Puno if military
action against Abu Sayyaf was an option.
"You are exactly right, the options are really getting
limited. There are really very few other options that can be
taken by the government and the (Moslem rebel group which took
Malaysian hostages)Abu Sayyaf is forcing the government into
these options despite the fact that the government has bent
over backwards in trying to prevent that kind of a situation.
You know, you get the good offices of a third party like Libya
to try to resolve the matter in a peaceful way but, as you say
also, there are negatives to that and there are problems
there. Obviously we cannot be relying on third countries to
solve our problems for us and we do not intend to let them
solve our problems for us," Puno said.
He said he could not go into specific details about
tactics but that the journalists gathered there could let
their "imagination fly."
The government is expected to discuss its options after
President Joseph Estrada returned on Thursday from Honolulu
where he was meeting officials of the U.S. Pacific military
command.
Another rebel faction holding American hostage Jeffrey
Schilling reiterated threats to behead him and set the
government a deadline of 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Tuesday to begin
negotiations for his release.
The deadline passed without the rebels apparently carrying
out their threat and Puno said for the moment the door was
still open for a negotiated settlement with the rebel leader
holding Schilling.
"But what we're hoping is maybe this may just be a
reaction, no? Maybe a reaction that was borne by the moment,
but I hope he (Moslem rebel leader) realises that every effort
is being made to continue, I mean to start these discussions
but he cannot keep on insisting on his own way of doing
things," Puno said.
Philippine officials have said they have not received any
requests from Washington to avoid using force to free
Schilling.
European and South African governments, whose nationals
were involved in the previous abductions, had prevailed on
Manila to negotiate and not use the military.
Muslim rebel kidnap leader Abu Sabaya spoke to Radyo Agong
in Zamboanga on Tuesday. He said killing Schilling would
encourage Americans to move their forces back into the
Philippines.
"If we kill Schilling, this will give the Americans a
chance to move in and bring their military bases back to the
Philippines," Abu Sabaya said.
Jeffrey Schilling made a statement explaining the rebels'
point.
"People of the Philippines, history has shown that when
the United States of America offers military aid their
intention is to open military bases. The United States will
use this crisis as pretext to reopen their bases here in the
Philippines and keep the Philippines free from other foreign
influence, Jeffrey Schilling," Schilling said.
Abu Sabaya then said he believed Schilling had been used
by the CIA (United States Central Intelligence Agency).
"I am not certain, but Schilling told me he was used by
the CIA. I don't think he is CIA, but if he claims that he is
being used by the CIA, then he must be CIA. We have extracted
so much information from Schilling because he knows now that
he is being sacrificed by the US government. Why? They haven't
even communicated with us for the release of Schilling," Abu
Sabaya said.
The Philippines government is suffering from growing
embarassment as the rebels continue to taunt them, carrying
out dozens of kidnappings this year. The latest captives were
brought to the rebel lair on Jolo island using a speedboat
purchased with ransom payouts for earlier hostages.
Philippine navy patrols tried to block the rebels from
landing on Jolo, but could not catch up with the powerful
speedboat they were using. Casimiro said the 50-seater boat,
with two outboard engines of 750 horsepower each, was much
faster than the Philippines' ageing navy patrol craft.
The rebels bought the boat for 1.7 million pesos (37,700
US dollars) in July after they received ransom payments for
the first of the Sipadan hostages they released, local
newspapers have said.
They have also bought an arsenal of automatic assault
rifles, bazookas and mortars, and have recruited several
thousand more men with the promise of easy money, local
officials have said.
They said the rebels received about 1 US dollars million
for each of the Caucasian hostages they had freed and about 15
million pesos (333,000 US dollars) for each of nine Malaysians
previously kidnapped.
Two Filipinos were also abducted from Sipadan and one is
still in custody. The rebels also hold 12 local evangelists.
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