grim appeal has been made by the Int’l Committee of the Red Cross to the Abu Sayyaf Group of Al Bader Parad as a March 30 headline deadline approaches in the latest terrorist kidnapping holding us all hostage. Please pass this post on until bloggers like Angela Stuart Santiago should receive it and have their eyes opened to the terrible things they are abetting, defending, rationalizing, even glorifying…southern Philippines as the Kidnap-for-Ransom or Beheading Capital of the World.
Manila / Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing to the Abu Sayyaf Group, which is holding Mary Jean Lacaba, Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter in the southern Philippines, to ensure that the three remain unharmed and to let them go immediately.The appeal is in response to threats made by the abductors that they will kill one of the ICRC employees on 30 March if their demand for a pull back of troops goes unmet.
“I am very concerned by the threats of the kidnappers,” said the ICRC’s president, Jakob Kellenberger. “I am asking for their safe, unconditional and immediate release.”
“The sole purpose of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas’ work is to give help to those in need. It is impossible to understand what the kidnappers could possibly achieve by hurting them. Harming a humanitarian aid worker cannot be justified under any ideology or religious law.”
Since the abduction on 15 January, the ICRC and the Philippine National Red Cross have been working vigorously to resolve this ordeal. On 27 March, Mr Kellenberger spoke with Philippine Executive Secretary, Eduardo Ermita, the country’s second-highest ranking official, and asked him to ensure that the authorities do everything in their power to save the lives of the hostages, while avoiding any action that could put the ICRC staff at risk.
“The ICRC’s priority is that Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas remain safe and that they be able to return to their families, who miss them desperately. Their children, parents, siblings, spouses, friends and colleagues will not give up hope of seeing them again soon,” added Mr Kellenberger.
The threat to kill one of their three captives soon, unless their impossible demands are met, is not an empty one. Who can forget the six summer students beheaded by the same Al Bader Parad ASG gang in 2006, or the 2007 ambush-beheadings of 14 Marines? We are all Abu Sayyaf, now!
Popularity: 3% [?]
The top honcho on the ground, Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno has made an initial call on the situation: that no self-respecting government would allow the Abu Sayyaf to dictate where and when security forces will be positioned.
And I say I agree! We’ve been capitulating to these terrorists for so long they have been making a fool of us. Negotiate yes, but surrender sovereignty no! Tama na! Sobra na! Durugin at pulbusin na!!!
The lives of the three marines dead was as important as the lives of the three Red Cross hostages, yes?
Of course, it is expected that the ICRC man in the Philippines, Senator Gordon would make protests on behalf of his stakeholders. And these European honchos would have to make strong pleas and statements to save their assess.
But even Super Dick knows that he is a Filipino first, before being a Red Cross man.
Get those Red Cross people (and might as well get those foren-dyer missionaries, too) out of the country!!!
Pinas does not need their “enlightenment-kuno” because they also push the nation into cowering and remaining weak-willed when faced with thuggery.
During the high time of the Al Queda Terrorists in Iraq. They even
bombed the United Nations Headquarter. Killing the U.N. Head and
some U.N. personnel distributing humanitarian goods to the Iraqi
people.
Terrorists dont classify combatants and non-combatant. Like those
Red Cross people. They were doing good to the Sulu people. Then,
they made them Hostages. You can see the mind set of these people.
They will kill and use anybody who are on their way.
How does one respond with an “iron fist” and an “open mind”? Does the … government ought go ahead and bribe the MILF leaders with ancestral domain grants all over Morolandia in those so-called peace talks? Then have the NMLF (Next Moro Liberation Front) split off the main trunk of crooked warlord timber and begin a new belligerency? – DJB in his home blog
Asking the same question to the situation of the ICRC workers kidnapping, indeed how does one respond with an “iron fist” and an “open mind”?
What about the MILF, what have they done to help solve the crisis? Will no more of this problem be happening in the future if in case the government will give the MILF absolute control of their so-called homeland?
With the way the MILF are conducting themselves regarding this particular problem, could it be possible that the MILF subtly and indirectly has something to do with this ICRC kidnapping? The way things are developing on the ground, it seems the ASG is not acting on their own.
MILF has the same ideology as the Al Queda. They use the same tactic
of terror.
Al Queda was a deviant sect of Islam called Wahabi. It was founded
in Saudi Arabia. It has a 14th century ideology of spreading Islam
by terror and ruling the world thru a Caliphate. They were financed
by rich Saudi Arabians, some rich Iranians and some rich petro dollar
business people in different Islamic countries.
Osama Bin Laden was from a rich business family in Saudi Arabia. He was recruited by the U.S. covert operator C.I.A. ; in order to recruit “Mujajedins” or Islamic warriors to fight in the Soviet occuppied Afghanistan.
After the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan. They believe they
can spread Islam thruout the world by Terrorism. The Taliban was
a creation of the ISI or the Pakistani Intelligence. All were supported by U.S. money and materials. Now, they have turned against
their patron, the U.S.
This is the war we are all undergoing right now. Abu Shayyaf is just
a proxy of the Al Queda in the Philippines.
We have moderate Muslims also who want to live in peace. Islam like
Christianity has produced a deviant Sect. And these ideologies are
propagated in Madrasa schools in Pakistan.
Tasio,
Yes, what you narrated above is public knowledge. Nevertheless, in my prior statement above, what I was hinting (and hope would lead to a deeper discussion on the resumption of peace talk between the GRP and the MILF) is about whether or not what’s happening lately in some MILF-populated areas of Mindanao is ultimately the work of the MILF to force the GRP to go back to the negotiating table sooner.
In various media outlets, the MILF kept denying they have anything to do with the ASG’s actions. But as days pass by and as the way things developed on the ground, it seems their claim is suspicious.
In the Koran, Guile is a part of Jihad. Like the guile of
Enrile and Ramos, when they turned against Marcos. Or the guile
of De Venecia, when he turned against Gloria Arroyo. Or the
Ayatollah Komeini when he turned against his benefactor, the U.S.
Saddam Hussein, when he turned against Kuwait. Saddam invaded
his source of military financing.
what “koran” do talk about Tasio? you seem to overstep the board. little “knowledge,” let along speculation, is dangerous.
“let alone” i mean.
Tokayo, wag mo na patulan yan. Hayaan mo na siya sa kanyang mga “sentimiento” de patatas. Alam kung tama ka, pero pabayaan mo na, kawawa nga eh..
Enjoy your summer tokayo.
Is there a way out of this dilemma?
What would we do as President?
As Gen. McArthur had said during the Korean War: “There is
no substitute for victory.” He was right, if the Politicians
in Washington would had given him a free hand to defeat the
North Korean and the Chinese. America would not have the problem
of North Korea now.
North Korea is launching a a test of its Rocket cappability this
coming April 2009. The world is a very dangerous place.
Maybe one crucial step to take is to know who is really the brain behind the kidnapping of these ICRC workers. Until the mastermind is known, how can the crisis committee deal with the real demand? Is this case a plain Kidnap-For-Ransom (KFR) or is it a move to force the GRP back to the negotiating table very soon? Or is it both?
Because of partial news block-out about this matter, we are left with different speculations from various sources. Sometimes partial information is misleading.
Considering the length of days this problem has already taken, don’t we think the authorities already know all there is to know about this crisis and what appropriate actions they need to take? Or perhaps they are playing some kind of a game?
What about the ever interested “foreign meddlers”? What are their involvements? Who is really calling the shots? To pay or not to pay.
Non Malignant,
There is quite a bit known about Al Bader Parad’s group, since they’ve been the most active ASG band in the last few years. They were involved in many of the most spectacularecent cases: first the beheading of those six summer students in Sulu; next hostaging of Gen. Dolorfino, Bossi and the Marine beheadings, Drilon, and the series of KFRs, etc. and now this.
May I suggest that the mastermind goes all the way up the AQ chain. This is their main front in Southeast Asia: in the future Maphilindostan they are dreaming about.
what did angela say to make her an abu supporter? she merely wrote that the abusayaff wants territory, not money now. she did not suggest that the territory be given, right?
gentlemen, pls. see http://www.luwaran.com now
danilo u,
do those guys really love ‘dinuguan’ over there?
bert,
and to those guys who love the perpetuation of this irrational “lifeletting.”
Well, what do you think of such “journalistic practice”, Danilo?
Is that what Islam teaches do you think?
“Maybe one-crucial …” “there is quiet a bit known…” Non-Malig & DJB, here’s an advise for you WHEN YOU READ PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPERS, READ IT IN THE TOILET AND USE IT TO WIPE YOUR ASS …