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| Southeast Asia |
| Filipino hostage in Iraq appears on TV |
| 2004-07-15 |
| A Filipino truck driver being held hostage by insurgents in Iraq said he was coming home soon and thanked his government for agreeing to withdraw its peacekeepers from the country, according to a video shown on Al-Jazeera television yesterday. In the video, Mr Angelo de la Cruz was no longer wearing the bright orange garment he had worn in previous videos. Other hostages killed by insurgents had been wearing a similar garment in videos showing their deaths. Mr de la Cruz told his family not to worry about him, pointing out that he had changed clothing, an apparent sign that he is no longer under threat of execution. ’Wait for me, I’m coming back to you,’ he reportedly said. His voice was not audible on TV; the newsreader narrated the video. Mr de la Cruz thanked President Gloria Arroyo for her decision and asked her to uphold it, according to the TV station. The fate of the 46-year-old father of eight has gripped the Philippines since his kidnapping was revealed last week. The Iraqi Islamic Army-Khaled bin Al-Waleed Corps demanded that the Philippines withdraw its 51-member peacekeeping contingent by July 20 or it would kill him. The government at first refused, but said on Wednesday it was coordinating a withdrawal and had already reduced its forces to 43 members. The kidnappers’ demand has left Mrs Arroyo, fresh from winning a new term in office, walking a tightrope between demands at home to save Mr de la Cruz’s life and the wish to please ally Washington by remaining in Iraq. ’If it says it will pull out and it does not pull out, there’s going to be hell to pay, not only with Angelo de la Cruz but every labourer, every Filipino who is abroad,’ former economic planning secretary Solita Monsod told Reuters Television. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |