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| Southeast Asia |
| Philippines: Kidnappers end contact with Red Cross |
| 2009-01-22 |
| (AKI) - The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has had no contact in the past 24 hours with its three aid workers who were kidnapped in the Philippines last week . The Red Cross workers, who include an Italian, Swiss and a Filipino, had previously made telephone contact with the ICRC several times since they were abducted on the southern island of Jolo last Thursday. The ICRC's president, Richard Gordon, said on Wednesday contact had stopped. Experts said the lack of communication could mean the abductors are moving from the area in order to flee raids by police and security services. The three, Italian citizen Eugenio Vagni, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba were abducted on Thursday after visiting a local prison. The Philippines government has appealed to the Swiss and Italian governments not to pay any ransom for the workers' release. At least 1,000 marines and police are believed to be involved in the search for the captives. The prime suspect in the latest kidnapping, Abu Sayyaf, has a long-running goal to establish a Muslim 'caliphate' in the southern Philippines. Over one thousand militants are believed to have joined the group since its foundation in the 1990s by a Muslim cleric. |
| Posted by:Fred |