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| Southeast Asia |
| Freed hostage in hospital |
| 2009-07-12 |
| [Straits Times] FREED Italian hostage Eugenio Vagni was in hospital early Sunday for medical checks after nearly six months in captivity in the southern Philippines, the military said. The 62 year-old, known to suffer from hernia, was taken to a military hospital on the southwest island of Jolo shortly after midnight. Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf handed him over to the vice governor of the province, Nur-Ana Sahidulla, near the town of Indanan, the local military command here said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aid worker had been known to be ill at various times during captivity and Sahidulla, who has negotiated with the militants over the past months, had previously had medicine delivered to him. 'He's doing remarkably well considering the number of days he spent in captivity,' ICRC spokeswoman Anastasia Isyuk told AFP. Mr Vagni, 62, was seized by Abu Sayyaf with ICRC colleagues Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines in January while on a humanitarian mission on Jolo, a hotbed of militant activity. The gunmen freed his two fellow hostages separately under unexplained circumstances in April. Ms Isyuk declined to discuss the terms of his release while stressing that the international aid agency did not pay ransom. Local television station ABS-CBN quoted unnamed sources as saying Vagni would be effectively swapped for the two wives of Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad who were arrested along with four other kidnapping suspects in Jolo on Tuesday. 'I can't say anything about that,' Ms Isyuk said.'The Red Cross has said in the past that it will pay no ransom and we maintain that policy,' she added. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Fred is being held hostage in the hospital? Oh noes! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-07-12 19:34 |