Hope of end to hostage crisis

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, MAY 1. As the crisis over the continued captivity of 21 international hostages in southern Philippines entered the second week today, the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, called for negotiations to resolve the stalemate in the Filipno efforts to secure their release.

The motley group, consisting of some Malaysians as also West Europeans and South Africans besides at least one West Asian and a Filipino, was taken hostage at the holiday resort of Sipadan off the Sabah coast of Malaysia.

Keeping that in mind, Mr. Abdullah Badawi, said in Kuala Lumpur that there was hope that ``we can resolve the situation soon as the parties involved have spoken about having negotiations'' with the captors.

This cautionary note was struck even as the Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, pledged to crack down on terrorism and reports from southern Philippines indicated that the hostage- takers, presumably a faction of the Abu Sayyaf group of Islamist separatists, fired at those taking medicines to the captives. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

With the Philippines Government setting no timeframe for securing the release of the international hostages, as distinct from another but all-Filipino group of captives in the hands of the group, Malaysia showed a sense of urgency in urging `discretion and caution.' Manila has so far made no decisive move to act in concert with the governments of the countries whose nationals were being held.

On the politics of separatism behind the crisis, the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Mr. Hamid Albar, said Kuala Lumpur had nothing to do with that. He emphasised that Malaysia did not favour the `military way' to free the international hostages.

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Section  : International
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