Philippines to try persuasion with captors

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, APRIL 28. Mr. Nur Misuari, the head of the negotiating team appointed by the Philippines Government, said today that he would adopt a strategy of persuasion to try and secure the release of an estimated 21 hostages - Malaysians as also Western and West Asian citizens - from the clutches of a band of suspected pirates in Sulu province in southern Philippines.

Late in the night, the hostage-takers reportedly threatened to kill some of their captives if Mr. Misuari was not replaced as negotiator by representatives of the Governments whose nationals were being held. But there was immediately no official confirmation of this.

The victims were seized at the diving resort of Sipadan island under Malaysia's jurisdiction late in the night last Sunday, and they were brought thereafter to southern Philippines across the maritime boundary between the two countries.

The band is believed to be sympathetic to the cause of the separatist Muslims of southern Philippines and Mr. Misuari, the Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines, was formerly the chief of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) when he negotiated and signed a peace settlement, thanks to some external help, with Manila over the separatism issue.

The band of pirates has not so far made its demands in writing to the negotiating team, but it is expected to do so. Its suspected mentors, the ``Abu Sayyaf group,'' had demanded that the U.S. release three prisoners including Ramzi Yusuf, who was convicted for the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Centre.

With the U.S. and the Philippines having rejected the demand, Manila launched a military offensive against a suspected ``Abu Sayyaf'' base in Basilan province, near Sulu, but the group was still holding out.

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Section  : International
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