Hostage to the situation

The Islamic Abu Sayyaf outfit in the Philippines has shown that kidnapping is a lucrative business. For their hostages, the trauma seems never-ending. AMIT BARUAH on the ongoing crisis. VAIJU NARAVANE on the Basque separatist group's depredations.

HOSTAGE-TAKING HAS been turned into an industry by the Abu Sayyaf (bearer of the sword) extremist group. Holding 12 Caucasian hostages for the last four months, the avowedly Islamic outfit, operating in the southern Philippines, has shown that kidnapping is a lucrative business.

For the 12 holiday-makers taken hostage, the trauma seems never- ending. Hopes were raised last week that some ``good news'' was imminent following the involvement of Libyan intermediaries, but that deal fell through. Frustration and anger seems high among the hostages, if the latest video images are any indication. Their respective Governments, too, are showing the same emotion.

Despite the collapse of the Libyan-brokered deal, there are renewed hopes of a possible release. However, these ``hopes'' appear to have frustrated the hostages and their families more than anything else. The last deal, which envisaged the payment of $ 12 million, collapsed in the face of open suggestions that the Philippines Army would launch a major operation against the rebels once the captives were freed. Also, there have been reports that the Libyan intermediaries were not carrying ``sufficient cash'' to meet the requirements of the Abu Sayyaf group.

There is little doubt that the Philippines Government will launch an operation once the hostages are freed by the Abu Sayyaf, which split from the parent Moro National Liberation Front in 1991. In such a scenario, the Abu Sayyaf leadership is aware that not only must it ensure that it collects the ransom, but it must also be able to make a getaway from Jolo island before the situation becomes ``too hot''.

Regarded as the smallest and most radical of the groups in the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf was formed by Abduragak Abubakar Janjalani. A veteran of the Afghan ``jehad'', Janjalani was killed on December 18, 1998, by the police in Lamitan village on Basilan island. A power struggle ensued after Janjalani's death, with his brother, Khadafy Janjalani, finally taking control. The group which was reported to have a strength of 200 armed fighters some years ago has grown in stature and wealth since the kidnapping.

Following the payment of some $ 5 million, the group's strength has reportedly grown to a couple of thousand, though this figure has not been corroborated. New and more lethal firearms have also been purchased by the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has never participated in any peace talks with the Philippines Government, has used piracy, robbery and kidnappings to fund itself. It also has reported links with a large number of Islamic fundamentalist organisations such as Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaida group and with Ramzi Yousaf, convicted of the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Centre building.

The outfit's first major terrorist operation was a grenade attack in 1991 in which two foreign women were killed. In 1992, the Abu Sayyaf hurled a bomb at the mv Doulous, an international floating bookstore manned by Christian preachers in the southern city of Zamboanga. In 1993, the group bombed a cathedral in Davao City, killing seven people.

Also in 1993, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped Mr. Charles Walton, a researcher at the U.S.-based Summer Institute of Linguistics. Mr. Walton was freed after 23 days in captivity. The following year, the group kidnapped three Spanish nuns and another Spanish priest in separate incidents. In 1998, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped two Hong Kong men, a Malaysian and a Taiwanese woman. In April 1995, the outfit carried out a major attack on the Christian town of Ipil in Mindanao, killing 53 persons and razing the town centre.

In the present case, Abu Sayyaf seems to have successfully negotiated its way to massive ransom payments playing on the sentiments of the Western Governments and their ``influence'' on the Estrada administration not to use force against the rebels. While there are reports that more money is to be paid out as ransom, several countries, including the U.S., have offered to help end the hostage crisis, an offer the Philippines has politely declined.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman was quoted as saying in Manila that Abu Sayyaf was a ``terrorist group'' and that Washington was ``committed to helping in any way to combat these groups''. The nature of assistance, he said, would depend on the kind of help that was sought. ``We don't need their help,'' the Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, responded. A Philippines official was quoted as saying that Manila had already informed Washington that its offer had been turned down.

Mr. Estrada, meanwhile, in response to a joint letter from the leaders of France, Germany and Finland, assured them that no military action, which could jeopardise the lives of the hostages, would be taken. In their joint letter dated August 22, the French, German and Finnish leaders had said: ``We use this opportunity to underline our firm view that the safe and early release of the hostages is the first priority... the safety of the hostages may not be undermined by the use of force.'' ``Their (the hostages) release must not be jeopardised by any action or any announcements the abductors on Jolo island could perceive as a reason not to implement a negotiated solution to this drama... we are deeply concerned that the envisaged release of the hostages failed last weekend,'' the three leaders stated while thanking Mr. Estrada for his country's effort to end the hostage crisis.

The Libyan involvement, through the Gaddafi International Association for Charitable Organisations, headed by Col. Muammar Gaddafi's son, Mr. Seif-al-Islam, is being seen as a major act of diplomacy by Tripoli. Prodded by the French Government, the Libyans possibly see this ``humanitarian act'' as an opportunity to win brownie points with the international community. As things stand, there is little doubt that without Libyan involvement a new deal looks extremely difficult.

For the 12 hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf, their mode of release, whether in batches or in one go, would hardly be an issue of concern.

But this seems to be a crucial issue which led to the breakdown of the agreement between the Philippines Government and the rebels. Also, the Abu Sayyaf has reportedly complained that the Libyans paid less than what was promised.

It's time that the hostages made their way to safety and their families. Since the principle of paying money is not under dispute in the present instance, all will be relieved when a workable deal is struck and the kidnapping drama is brought to an end.

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