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Philippines hostage calls family
[Straits Times] AN ITALIAN Red Cross worker being held by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines has called his family, but there was no word on when his nearly four months of captivity might end, a spokeswoman said on Saturday. Eugenio Vagni, 62, spoke with his wife by telephone on Friday, said Anastasia Isyuk of the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Manila. She said she did not know details of the conversation. 'What's important for us is that it's 115 days and he's still held hostage and we hope that he will be released as soon as possible,' she said. The call came a day after Abu Sayyaf militants ambushed and killed a civilian and three police officers, including the provincial police chief, as they were en route to meet with troops involved in an operation to rescue Mr Vagni. Mr Vagni along with fellow Red Cross workers Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines were kidnapped on Jan 15 while inspecting a water sanitation project in a Jolo jail. Ms Lacaba was freed April 2 and Ms Notter walked free more than two weeks later. 'There are a lot of efforts which aim at bringing about the safe and unconditional release of Eugenio,' Mr Isyuk said. 'His safety is of paramount concern.' Reacting to local media reports, the Asia-Pacific operations chief of the ICRC said in a statement that it has not received any ransom demand. Alain Aeschlimann said the group's policy is not to pay ransom for any kidnapped staff. He also said they would not pay for information on Vagni. The governor of Sulu province which includes Jolo ordered the rescue effort last month after negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf for the release of Mr Vagni failed amid growing concerns for his health in the jungle. The 62-year-old is suffering from hypertension and needs surgery for a hernia. Posted by: Fred 2009-05-10 |
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