1994 - 1
1995 - 8
1996 - 0
1997 - 0
1998 - 0
1999 - 0
2000 - 52
2001 - 35
2002 - 22
2003 - 3
2004 - 0
2005 - 0
2006 - 0
2007 - 1
2008 - 0
2009 - 0
2010 - 0
2011 - 1
2012 - 1
[An incomplete run for the daily (Sunday complete) with Oct-Dec. 2003, April-Dec. 2004, Jan.-Dec. 2005 missing.]
The Independent is a Monday to Sunday newspaper, owned and published by Independent Print Ltd and headquartered in London, England. It was first published in 1986 in reaction to the conservative views held by the London Times and the London Telegraph. It has a liberal slant. The Independent's audience is London based, with 54 percent of its readership living in London and its surroundings. Other notable qualities of its readership are: the average reader is 43 years old; 59 percent are... employed; 62 percent are married; 48 percent have a college degree or higher; and 73 percent own their own homes. Regions covered include: London and South East, South West, Midlands, North and North East, North West, Scotland, and Wales. The Independent is the youngest of Britain's daily newspapers and is notable for challenging London's more established and conservative daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. In 2010, Simon Kelner, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, and Johann Hari, a regular columnist in the paper, each received a Comment Award, similar to the U.S. Pultizer Prize. Oliver Wright is Whitehall editor; Oly Duff is home news editor, and Katherine Butler is comment editor.
This is the way The Independent began handling the Abu Sayyaf story, which began in earnest after the March 20th abduction of 31 people, mostly school children and a Catholic priest:
April 24, 2000; 20 guerrillas die in gun battle to free hostages, by Adam Leigh and Konrad Muller in Manila;
April 25, 2000; Armed bandits seize tourists on tropical isle, by Kathy Marks;
April 26, 2000; Armed guards mount watch on paradise as rebels claim to have 21 more hostages, by Kathy Marks;
April 27, 2000; Philippine militants demand pounds 1.5m ransom for tourists, by Kathy Marks;
April 29, 2000; Hostages 'face beheading threat',
May 1, 2000; Bandits escape soldiers' attempt to rescue children, by Katherine Butler; 679 words,
May 2, 2000; Western hostages' plea: We can't take any more, by Adam Leigh; 700+ words,
May 3, 2000; We'll behead hostages, say Philippine rebels, by Konrad Muller in Manila; 700+ words,
May 3, 2000; Rebels threatened 'two heads for tomorrow', by Konrad Muller in Manila; 700+ words,
May 3, 2000; Two hostages reported dead as Muslim rebels clash with army, by Cahal Milmo; 417 words,
May 4, 2000; Up to six hostages killed as troops attempt rescue guerrillas attacked under fire; Islamic guerrillas seize 100 more captives while reports says two Western tourists killed after a gun battle in jungle,
by Kathy Marks; 700+ words,
May 4, 2000; Rebels discover their goldmine in kidnappings, by Matt Frei in Jolo; 687 words,
May 5, 2000; Philippines hostages 'have fled' escape escaped rebels', by Kathy Marks; 323 words,
May 5, 2000; Monitor: International comment on the growing unrest in the Philippines after Islamic guerrillas took tourists hostage, 700+ words,
May 7, 2000; Philippine Rebel Victims Found, 186 words,
May 8, 2000; Philippines President gives final warning to kidnappers HOSTAGE CRISIS EU sends emissary to Manila to express concern for hostages' safety while in Indonesia 3,000 Islamists pledge to start holy war, by Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words,
May 9, 2000; Plight of hostages worsens as Philippines warns EU envoy, by Kathy Marks; 679 words,
May 11, 2000; Envoys plead for release of sick hostage, by Kathy Marks; 485 words,
May 13, 2000; Smuggled diary reveals plight of tourist hostages, by Kathy Marks; 700+ words,
May 18, 2000; Philippine kidnappers demand $2m, by Kathy Marks; 411 words,
May 19, 2000; Philippines: Five die in guerrilla grenade attack on market, by Kathy Marks; 474 words,
May 19, 2000; Philippines: `War is part of our culture,' say Islamic fighters Bombers target civilians 20 miles from the camp where a motley band of armed teenage insurgents are still holding 21 hostages, by Arnaud Dubus in Jolo, southern Philippines; 700+ words,
May 26, 2000; Hijacker jumps from jet after robbing passengers, by Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 643 words,
May 27, 2000; Storm clouds gather over Asia's islands of hope, by Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 700+ words,
July 7, 2000; Malaysian cult surrenders after killing hostages, by Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 683 words,
July 18, 2000; First Western hostage freed by kidnappers in Philippines, by Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words,
Adam Leigh and "Konrad Muller in Manila" broke the story. Adam Leigh was a senior editor at The Independent in 2000. [see: September 28, 2011, Press Gazette, Adam Leigh steps down as Independent deputy editor, by Andrew Pugh]
Adam Leigh. Yummy clandestine material?
But who was Konrad Muller? He had only four very recent credits in The Independent before he helped break the Abu Sayyaf story, and was to earn just two more; while his total credits at Highbeam include only one more: a comment he submitted to the International Herald Tribune:, in which he's described as a former Australian diplomat, who "is now a free-lance journalist based in Manila."
August 21, 1999; Filipinos join protest over 'crony' state, Konrad Muller in Manila;
August 21, 1999; 50,000 stage protest over 'crony' state, Konrad Muller in Manila;
November 11, 1999; Cult of Marcos rises among his former subjects Frontline, Konrad Muller;
January 27, 2000; Asian Times Manila: Mr Mayor is a Dirty Harry and proud of it, Konrad Muller;
April 20, 2000; Philippines' worst air crash kills all 131 on board, Kathy Marks and Konrad Muller,
April 24, 2000; 20 guerrillas die in gun battle to free hostages, Adam Leigh and Konrad Muller in Manila;
May 3, 2000; We'll behead hostages, say Philippine rebels, Konrad Muller in Manila;
May 3, 2000; Rebels threatened `two heads for tomorrow', Konrad Muller in Manila;
May 9, 2000; International Herald Tribune Manila and Muslim Insurgents Have a Lot of Talking to Do, Konrad Muller;
June 1, 2000; City Life Manila: Cockfighting is the opiate of Filipino slums, Konrad Muller;
This originating piece of "reporting" came after the briefest creation of a backstory in 1995, when "Abu Sayyaf" began to enter the public consciousness as an especially nonsensical mutilator and beheader of its victims.
The only part that makes any reportorial sense is the pure political propaganda part, with the "government of the Philippines," believing "the Muslim separatist group is sponsored by Osama bin Laden," while the only demand Abu Sayyaf is reported to be making being the release of three Islamic militants held in the U. S., which the Philippine president rightly considered to "be out of their minds," in more ways than one.
The actual battle descriptions given by official sources make no what/when/why/how sense, with "intercepted Abu Sayyaf radio transmissions" of threatened beheadings giving way to some sort of actual "word" that beheadings had already taken place. The one believable fact, however, was that in "retaliation for the [these supposed] beheadings, a pro-government vigilante group seized a suspected Abu Sayyaf member near the provincial capital, Isabela, on Saturday and also decapitated him, police said." This clearly indicates who was in control of the real narrative action.
April 24, 2000, The Independent, 20 guerrillas die in gun battle to free hostages, by Adam Leigh and Konrad Muller in Manila,
Konrad Muller's second operative contribution to the Abu Sayyaf story includes two totally distinct versions of the same story apparently published the same day in The Independent [these are, by the way, a new group of hostages, abducted the same day, we're told, as the military assault described above, which was designed to rescue the previous hostages, and with different threats of beheadings between the stories.]
Did Muller just churn out variants for the journalistic "pool" and something went awry here?
How 27 hostages, plus their captors, could "seemingly" melt away into the jungle and elude the 2,000 trained personnel "encircling the hideout" is a good use of necessary skepticism on the part of the narrative writer, although not when attributed to a military "admission."
Within the second hostage group, how do "21 hostages, 10 of them tourists," in the first story, become a "total of 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two South Africans, one Lebanese and a Filipina," in the second version? Does this imply that one of the Malaysians was also a tourist, as distinct from the nine other Malaysian resort workers?
The last sentence of the first version: "The military strike on Basilan had been launched after the Abu Sayyaf announced the beheading of two male hostages," is in cause-and-effect conflict with the story's nominal sentiment that "beheadings would begin shortly if the army units did not retreat."
The threat of beheadings is a sword of Damocles which looses its effect if bandied about lightly. It has been used in the narrative to both ward off multiple government assaults and rescue attempts and said to be their instigator. So it is beneath the hostage-taker's dignity to say decapitations "would begin if Mr Missuari were not replaced as negotiator."
After this start, three articles appeared on April 25th, 26th and 27th by Kathy Marks, who is an Asian correspondent based in Sydney who has seen 2,000 articles in The Independent between 1997 and 2012. For some reason, Marks was given the next week off the Abu Sayyaf gig, before she returned to ultimately to write a total of 22 articles on the crisis.
Over the next seven days, a number of bylines appeared, but first up was an odd, unattributed piece on Saturday, April 29, Hostages 'face beheading threat', in an article Highbeam says has 182 words, but which only gives us a short count of 50:
For instance, the Birmingham Evening Mail attributed the radio interview to Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Escobar three days later, on May 2, Kidnappers in beheading threat,
Maybe the Birmingham Evening Mail didn't bother to date the actual radio interview, because it was already a stale three days old. Also stale was a reference to "yesterday" to describe a visit made by a doctor and several journalists to the "hideout," which actually took place on Saturday, April 29.
Or so the Monday, May 1, Katherine Butler article in The Independent, Bandits escape soldiers' attempt to rescue children, tells us:
May 27, 2000; Storm clouds gather over Asia's islands of hope, by Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 700+ words,
July 7, 2000; Malaysian cult surrenders after killing hostages, by Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 683 words,
July 18, 2000; First Western hostage freed by kidnappers in Philippines, by Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words,
Adam Leigh and "Konrad Muller in Manila" broke the story. Adam Leigh was a senior editor at The Independent in 2000. [see: September 28, 2011, Press Gazette, Adam Leigh steps down as Independent deputy editor, by Andrew Pugh]
Adam Leigh. Yummy clandestine material?
But who was Konrad Muller? He had only four very recent credits in The Independent before he helped break the Abu Sayyaf story, and was to earn just two more; while his total credits at Highbeam include only one more: a comment he submitted to the International Herald Tribune:, in which he's described as a former Australian diplomat, who "is now a free-lance journalist based in Manila."
August 21, 1999; Filipinos join protest over 'crony' state, Konrad Muller in Manila;
August 21, 1999; 50,000 stage protest over 'crony' state, Konrad Muller in Manila;
November 11, 1999; Cult of Marcos rises among his former subjects Frontline, Konrad Muller;
January 27, 2000; Asian Times Manila: Mr Mayor is a Dirty Harry and proud of it, Konrad Muller;
April 20, 2000; Philippines' worst air crash kills all 131 on board, Kathy Marks and Konrad Muller,
April 24, 2000; 20 guerrillas die in gun battle to free hostages, Adam Leigh and Konrad Muller in Manila;
May 3, 2000; We'll behead hostages, say Philippine rebels, Konrad Muller in Manila;
May 3, 2000; Rebels threatened `two heads for tomorrow', Konrad Muller in Manila;
May 9, 2000; International Herald Tribune Manila and Muslim Insurgents Have a Lot of Talking to Do, Konrad Muller;
June 1, 2000; City Life Manila: Cockfighting is the opiate of Filipino slums, Konrad Muller;
This originating piece of "reporting" came after the briefest creation of a backstory in 1995, when "Abu Sayyaf" began to enter the public consciousness as an especially nonsensical mutilator and beheader of its victims.
The only part that makes any reportorial sense is the pure political propaganda part, with the "government of the Philippines," believing "the Muslim separatist group is sponsored by Osama bin Laden," while the only demand Abu Sayyaf is reported to be making being the release of three Islamic militants held in the U. S., which the Philippine president rightly considered to "be out of their minds," in more ways than one.
The actual battle descriptions given by official sources make no what/when/why/how sense, with "intercepted Abu Sayyaf radio transmissions" of threatened beheadings giving way to some sort of actual "word" that beheadings had already taken place. The one believable fact, however, was that in "retaliation for the [these supposed] beheadings, a pro-government vigilante group seized a suspected Abu Sayyaf member near the provincial capital, Isabela, on Saturday and also decapitated him, police said." This clearly indicates who was in control of the real narrative action.
April 24, 2000, The Independent, 20 guerrillas die in gun battle to free hostages, by Adam Leigh and Konrad Muller in Manila,
UP TO 20 members of a militant Islamic guerrilla group were killed yesterday after Filipino troops battled through rugged, landmine-sown terrain to free dozens of hostages from the rebels' mountain-top lair.Unless they have very good memories and motor skills, a "landmine-sown terrain" would effectively create a dead zone for the hostage takers as well as opposing government forces and the local populace. The narrative writer should have used here "booby-trapped approaches" to get the desired effect.
The fighting began on Saturday, when government forces backed by artillery, helicopter gunships and naval gunboats launched their assault on the island of Basilan in the southern Philippines to rescue the hostages. The captives, many of them children, had been held for 35 days by the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf group, who are fighting for an independent Islamic state. The government of the Philippines, a country that is 90 per cent Catholic, believes the Muslim separatist group is sponsored by Osama bin Laden.
About 1,500 soldiers took part in the assault on Basilan, 550 miles south of Manila. The army's commander in the area, General Diomedio Villanueva, said: "We have reached their defence perimeters ... There is gunfire on both sides but we are in the periphery. There is no turning back."
But, he added, the main guerrilla camp, where the rebels were holding their captives and had built bunkers, was more than two miles away from the army's position. According to military sources, the final advance up Mount Punu Mahadje to the rebel base was hampered by rain and landmines.
The military launched the attack three days after Abu Sayyaf said it had beheaded two of the 29 hostages - both male teachers - and threatened to kill more of their captives, including a Catholic priest.
Army officials said they had intercepted Abu Sayyaf radio transmissions about a rebel threat "to execute two hostages at three o'clock every morning if the rescue operations continue" but they could not say how serious the threat was. In retaliation for the beheadings, a pro-government vigilante group seized a suspected Abu Sayyaf member near the provincial capital, Isabela, on Saturday and also decapitated him, police said.
The teachers were executed after the government rejected several Abu Sayyaf demands, including organising the release of three Islamic militants held in the United States.
These include Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, who was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 240 years for masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. The rebels had also insisted on the release of the blind diabetic Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who was also jailed over the New York bombing. "[They] may be out of their minds," President Joseph Estrada said in response to these demands.
The hostages were among more than 70 people seized by the guerrillas from two schools on 20 March. The rest have been released unharmed.
The Philippine navy has deployed gunboats around Basilan to prevent guerrillas onnearby islands from reinforcing their comrades. The army estimates that Abu Sayyaf has about 1,000 members.
Konrad Muller's second operative contribution to the Abu Sayyaf story includes two totally distinct versions of the same story apparently published the same day in The Independent [these are, by the way, a new group of hostages, abducted the same day, we're told, as the military assault described above, which was designed to rescue the previous hostages, and with different threats of beheadings between the stories.]
| May 3, 2000; We'll behead hostages, say Philippine rebels, Konrad Muller in Manila;
Filipino Muslim rebels, who are holding 21 people abducted from a Malaysian resort 10 days ago, yesterday claimed that they were about to begin beheading their captives. Soon after this threat, and 300m away from where the hostages are being held, fighting between the rebels and Philippine troops left one soldier dead and an undetermined number of casualties among the rebels. The clashes were continuing late last night. A supposed leader of the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf, who identified himself by the nom de guerre of "Abu Escobar", had telephoned a local radio station to say that beheadings would begin shortly if the army units did not retreat. The soldiers were in positions close to the rebel camp where the captives, who include 10 tourists, have been confined to a crowded bamboo hut, since their abduction from a Malaysian diving resort on 23 April. If the troops were not pulled back, Abu Escobar said there would be: "Maybe two heads for tomorrow." Fighting erupted soon afterwards between the rebels and Philippine troops, 2,000 of whom are encircling the hideout in rugged terrain on the southern island of Jolo. The military had no intention of moving back, according to Nur Missuari, the government's chief negotiator, who is himself a former Muslim rebel leader. Mr Missuari's negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf have achieved very limited progress so far. Murder has been threatened before in this hostage drama. A second purported leader of the kidnappers, Galib Andang - alias "Commander Robot" - warned last Friday that beheadings would begin if Mr Missuari was not replaced as negotiator. The authorities then rejected that demand. The new threat also came as the kidnapped tourists, in letters to their governments, pleaded against any resort to force. Werner Kort, one of the three German hostages, was quoted as saying: "We are risking our lives here, and if the Philippine government should try to march in and find a military solution, there will be bloodshed, nothing else." The mother of a South African hostage yesterday made a personal plea to the captors. Monica Aggenbag said: "Look after our children. Give them food. Give them medicine and please release them." Mrs Aggenbag's 36- year-old daughter Monique Strydom and her son-in-law Carel are among the hostages. Mrs Aggenbag had received a note from Monique and Carel yesterday. It had been smuggled out by a photographer who was allowed into the rebel base. Monique Strydom had written: "We love you ... All is OK. We need food, water and clean clothes. We are losing weight and miss you all." Concerned Western governments reportedly cautioned Manila against any hasty action. The French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin pleaded with the rebels to "contact the Foreign Ministry directly, or me, if needed." Two French tourists are among the hostages. A second Abu Sayyaf hostage drama affords ample reason for scepticism about the ability of the military to bring the crisis to an end. On Basilan island, 50 miles to the north of Jolo, the Philippine army has captured the extremists' main camp. The military admitted yesterday that the Abu Sayyaf leadership had seemingly melted away into the jungle. With them disappeared 27 Filipino hostages, many of them schoolchildren, who have now been held for six weeks. The military strike on Basilan had been launched after the Abu Sayyaf announced the beheading of two male hostages. | May 3, 2000; Rebels threatened 'two heads for tomorrow', Konrad Muller in Manila; The Reported deaths of two of the 21 hostages being held by Filipino Muslim rebels brings to grim fruition the threats of the leaders of the extremist armed group. The kidnapping saga began 10 days ago when armed fighters from the Abu Sayyaf movement seized a group of tourists and locals from the Malaysian holiday island of Sipadan. A total of 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two South Africans, one Lebanese and a Filipina were spirited away to a camp surrounded by dense jungle on the Philippine island of Jolo. A game of cat and mouse followed between Philippine armed forces and the rebels as they split the foreign hostages into groups before then undergoing a change of mind in recent days and housing the group within one cramped, uncomfortable camp. The governments of countries whose nationals had been taken have pleaded for calm negotiations to bring the crisis to a peaceful end. But amid televised pleas from some of the hostages that there conditions were becoming increasingly uncomfortable, the Philippine authorities began to surround the rebel stronghold over the weekend. A supposed leader of Abu Sayyaf, who identified himself by the nom de guerre of Abu Escobar, had telephoned a local radio station yesterday to say that beheadings would begin shortly if the army units did not retreat. The soldiers were in positions close to the rebel camp where the captives have been confined to a crowded bamboo hut since their abduction from a Malaysian diving resort on 23 April. If the troops were not pulled back, "Abu Escobar" said, there would be "maybe two heads for tomorrow". Fighting erupted soon afterwards between the rebels and Philippine troops, 2,000 of whom are encircling the hideout in rugged terrain on the island in the southern Philippines. The military had no intention of moving back, according to Nur Missuari, the government's chief negotiator, who is himself a former Muslim rebel leader. Mr Missuari's negotiations with Abu Sayyaf have achieved limited progress so far. Murder has been threatened before in this hostage taking. A second purported leader of the kidnappers, Galib Andang - alias Commander Robot - warned on Friday that beheadings would begin if Mr Missuari were not replaced as negotiator. The authorities then rejected that demand. The new threat also came as the kidnapped tourists, in letters to their governments, pleaded against any resort to force. Werner Kort, one of the three German hostages, was quoted as saying: "We are risking our lives here, and if the Philippine government should try to march in and find a military solution, there will be bloodshed, nothing else." Concerned Western governments reportedly cautioned Manila against any hasty action. The French Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, pleaded with the rebels to "contact the Foreign Ministry directly, or me, if needed". A second Abu Sayyaf hostage crisis affords ample reason for scepticism about the ability of the military to bring the crisis to an end. On Basilan island, 50 miles north of Jolo, the Philippine army has captured the extremists' main camp. The military admitted yesterday that the Abu Sayyaf leadership had seemingly melted away into the jungle. With them disappeared 27 Filipino hostages, many of them schoolchildren, who have now been held for six weeks. |
Did Muller just churn out variants for the journalistic "pool" and something went awry here?
How 27 hostages, plus their captors, could "seemingly" melt away into the jungle and elude the 2,000 trained personnel "encircling the hideout" is a good use of necessary skepticism on the part of the narrative writer, although not when attributed to a military "admission."
Within the second hostage group, how do "21 hostages, 10 of them tourists," in the first story, become a "total of 10 Malaysians, three Germans, two French nationals, two South Africans, one Lebanese and a Filipina," in the second version? Does this imply that one of the Malaysians was also a tourist, as distinct from the nine other Malaysian resort workers?
The last sentence of the first version: "The military strike on Basilan had been launched after the Abu Sayyaf announced the beheading of two male hostages," is in cause-and-effect conflict with the story's nominal sentiment that "beheadings would begin shortly if the army units did not retreat."
The threat of beheadings is a sword of Damocles which looses its effect if bandied about lightly. It has been used in the narrative to both ward off multiple government assaults and rescue attempts and said to be their instigator. So it is beneath the hostage-taker's dignity to say decapitations "would begin if Mr Missuari were not replaced as negotiator."
After this start, three articles appeared on April 25th, 26th and 27th by Kathy Marks, who is an Asian correspondent based in Sydney who has seen 2,000 articles in The Independent between 1997 and 2012. For some reason, Marks was given the next week off the Abu Sayyaf gig, before she returned to ultimately to write a total of 22 articles on the crisis.
Over the next seven days, a number of bylines appeared, but first up was an odd, unattributed piece on Saturday, April 29, Hostages 'face beheading threat', in an article Highbeam says has 182 words, but which only gives us a short count of 50:
"A MAN claiming to speak for separatist Moslem rebels in the southern Philippines said on a local radio station that the Abu Sayyaf group would behead the foreign hostages it is holding on Jolo island if its demands were not met. There are 21 captives, 10 of them foreign tourists."Since this broke vague new ground for the upcoming Konrad Muller pieces, seen in pair above, on the 3rd, maybe this was a "floater" to test the waters, but if so, it begins to muddy the credibility of how this story could emerge in the fashion described.
For instance, the Birmingham Evening Mail attributed the radio interview to Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Escobar three days later, on May 2, Kidnappers in beheading threat,
Muslim extremists today threatened to behead two of 21 hostages they are holding in the Philippines unless troops surrounding their camp are withdrawn.Obviously Escobar didn't escape past the soldiery he could see to travel to a studio to give his interview, so he must have given it via cell phone, which would have been a logical detail to include in the story, although it also means he could be tracked, like Osama bin Laden in his cave.
Abu Escobar, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebels, said the troops were so close that the kidnappers could see them.
If the government does not pull back the soldiers 'we will surprise them,' he said in a radio interview. 'Maybe two heads for tomorrow.'
The hostages were kidnapped from a Malaysian diving resort on April 23 by Filipino Muslim extremists and brought to Jolo island, about an hour away by boat.
Another group of Abu Sayyaf rebels holding a separate group of 27 hostages on neighbouring Basilan island claim to have beheaded two of their captives.
The 21 hostages in Jolo have also appealed to the Philippines government to pull back the troops encircling them to allow the kidnappers to obtain food.
Several journalists who accompanied a doctor to the hideout yesterday were able to interview the hostages.
Stephane Loisy, a hostage from France, said: 'We eat only rice, and the only water is the water from rain.'
Maybe the Birmingham Evening Mail didn't bother to date the actual radio interview, because it was already a stale three days old. Also stale was a reference to "yesterday" to describe a visit made by a doctor and several journalists to the "hideout," which actually took place on Saturday, April 29.
Or so the Monday, May 1, Katherine Butler article in The Independent, Bandits escape soldiers' attempt to rescue children, tells us:
Philippine Soldiers fought intense battles yesterday with the separatist rebels who are holding 27 children hostage on a southern island, but attempts to rescue the captives came to nothing.Butler names one of the reporters who visited the lair on Saturday as Arlyn de la Cruz, which is the only source, named or hinted, given in the article, even though, in addition to the intimate details of captivity offered of one group of hostages, it details a fresh account of an intervening day's battle to rescue a the group of hostages held by a separate group of Abu Sayyaf members .
The troops sprayed tear gas into a tunnel complex where the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group is believed to have hidden at least some of the school children, seized as human shields from two schools six weeks ago.
The rebels belong to the same extremist grouping which kidnapped 10 foreign tourists from a resort in Malaysia last month.
The sound of a child's voice alerted the soldiers, who were cautiously searching the extensive tunnel system, believed to have been built by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels are thought to have fled with their hostages through a side exit from the tunnels into the dense jungle. Children's sandals, generators, weapons and 100 sacks of rice were left behind.
The raids on the rebels' bases came after 1,500 troops overran the densely forested camp on the slopes of Mount Ponoh Mahajid on southern Basilan island.
The Abu Sayyaf, thought to number several hundred armed men, is believed to be behind numerous kidnappings and other attacks in southern Mindanao, one of the Philippines' poorest regions.
The child hostages are among nearly 50 seized after an attack on a military outpost. Some of the captives were released, but the kidnappers claimed two weeks ago to have beheaded two teachers after the government rejected some of their demands.
Among the long-standing demands of the rebels is for the release of three terrorists from US jails, including Ramzi Yousef, convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
Meanwhile, the separate group of Abu Sayyaf members who abducted 21 people, including 10 foreign tourists, from a Malaysian resort on 23 April, issued a partial list of demands on Saturday.
These included the introduction of Islamic law and the return to barter. Philippines President Joseph Estrada has already ruled out the possibility of ransom payments.
Arlyn de la Cruz, a reporter taken to visit the hostages on Saturday, said they were weak, hungry, and crowded into a small bamboo hut with no sanitation.
Lack of clean water has also given many of them severe diarrhoea, she said.
The captives include tourists from Germany, France, South Africa, Finland and Lebanon, and resort workers from the Philippines and Malaysia.
They are being held in a mountainous area of Talipao on Jolo, a Philippine island about 80 kilometres south-west of Basilan, Ms de la Cruz, who has close ties to the rebels, said.
Jolo island is about an hour by boat from the Malaysian island of Sipadan, where they were abducted.
Ms de la Cruz said the hostages had been fed only twice since their seizure, they had no access to medicine or supplies of fresh water.
The journalist intends to return tomorrow to take food and supplies. She said the hostages were concerned about botched rescue attempts.
"They are hoping there won't be any military operation because they will be removed to another place."
Officials do not believe the two kidnappings, the worst in the Philippines in years, were planned together.
Several other reasons make me doubt Butler's credibility. First off is her work load, which takes her and her authority to several continents except Asia:
But the most specious quality is the introduction of journalists as actors in the drama---a necessity it seems, given the one-sided logistics the opposing narratives had to emerge under---so the media literally becomes the go-betweens carrying a story so wildly unsympathetic to one side it should have at least have damaged de la Cruz's leftist credentials.
Later on in her story, the Abu Sayyaf Wikipedia page, under "Journalists abducted since 2000," lists Philippine Daily Inquirer contributor and Net 25 television reporter Arlyn de la Cruz as having been abducted in January, 2002 in Zamboanga, Philippines, where she was held hostage for three months, and here too is an aspect of conspiratorial narrative construction, where the parts are ultimately interchangeable as need arises, because they all stem from the same playbook.
________________________________________________________
February 26, 2000, AP / The Independent (London,) Bus bomb kills 32 Filipinos in ferry explosion,
April 1, 2000; Week In The Life Ritt Goldstein, Fugitive: In a Swedish forest, on the run from the world's greatest democracy, by Katherine Butler; 645 words,Given the benefit of hindsight, the view expressed that "officials do not believe the two kidnappings, the worst in the Philippines in years, were planned together," is like saying the first and second plane crashes into the World Trade Center on 9/11 weren't planned together. By including such an illogical musing, it signals that not only are the physical events being described completely fabricated, the intellectual activity surrounding them is as well.
April 8, 2000; Give up your farms or we declare war on you, Mugabe tells Zimbabwe's whites, Alex Duval Smith and Katherine Butler; 378 words,
April 12, 2000; Children killed in Sarajevo minefield, Katherine Butler; 422 words,
April 26, 2000; Police step in to halt protest by `evil' Falun Gong cult , Katherine Butler; 452 words,
April 26, 2000; Mosquito nets: so simple, yet unused in Africa, Katherine Butler; 697 words,
April 28, 2000; Evacuation hint from minister as Zimbabwe crisis talks fail, Rupert Cornwell Katherine Butler and Severin Carre; 587 words,
April 28, 2000; Zimbabwe Crisis: As talks proceed it's a dialogue of the deaf, both inside and out, Katherine Butler; 502 words,
May 1, 2000; Bandits escape soldiers' attempt to rescue children, Katherine Butler; 679 words,
May 2, 2000; Iranian Jew 'has confessed to spying', Katherine Butler; 351 words
May 4, 2000; UN peace-keeping troops killed in clash with Sierra Leone insurgents, Katherine Butler; 559 words
May 5, 2000; Kidnapping puts UN Sierra Leone mission in doubt, Karen McGregor and Katherine Butler; 700+ words,
May 10, 2000; Paras rescue Europeans as rebels advance, Katherine Butler; 597 words,
May 19, 2000; Frail Pope celebrates amid fresh speculation, Frances Kennedy in Rome and Katherine Butler; 689 words,
May 23, 2000; Captured officer says he is fit and well, Katherine Butler; 378 words,
May 25, 2000; Two journalists are killed in Sierra Leone rebels' ambush, Katherine Butler and Alex Duval Smith in Freetown; 519 words,
But the most specious quality is the introduction of journalists as actors in the drama---a necessity it seems, given the one-sided logistics the opposing narratives had to emerge under---so the media literally becomes the go-betweens carrying a story so wildly unsympathetic to one side it should have at least have damaged de la Cruz's leftist credentials.
Later on in her story, the Abu Sayyaf Wikipedia page, under "Journalists abducted since 2000," lists Philippine Daily Inquirer contributor and Net 25 television reporter Arlyn de la Cruz as having been abducted in January, 2002 in Zamboanga, Philippines, where she was held hostage for three months, and here too is an aspect of conspiratorial narrative construction, where the parts are ultimately interchangeable as need arises, because they all stem from the same playbook.
________________________________________________________
February 26, 2000, AP / The Independent (London,) Bus bomb kills 32 Filipinos in ferry explosion,
April 24, 2000,The Independent (London,) 20 guerrillas die in gun battle to free hostages, by Adam Leigh and Konrad Muller in Manila; 623 words
April 25, 2000,The Independent (London,) Armed bandits seize tourists on tropical isle, by Kathy Marks; 589 words
April 26, 2000,The Independent, Armed guards mount watch on paradise as rebels claim to have 21 more hostages, by Kathy Marks; 700+ words
April 27, 2000,The Independent, Philippine militants demand pounds 1.5m ransom for tourists,Kathy Marks
April 29, 2000,The Independent (London,) Hostages `face beheading threat', 182 words
May 1, 2000,The Independent, Bandits escape soldiers' attempt to rescue children, by Katherine Butler;
May 2, 2000,The Independent (London,) Western hostages' plea: We can't take any more, Adam Leigh;
The Independent (London, England); May 3, 2000; Konrad Muller in Manila; 700+ words ...leader of the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf, who identified himself by the nom...Missuari's negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf have achieved very limited progress...are among the hostages. A second Abu Sayyafhostage drama affords ample reason.
The Independent (London, England); May 3, 2000; Konrad Muller in Manila; 700+ words ...ago when armed fighters from the Abu Sayyafmovement seized a group of tourists...the weekend. A supposed leader of Abu Sayyaf, who identified himself by the nom...Mr Missuari's negotiations with Abu Sayyaf have achieved limited progress so..
The Independent (London, England); May 3, 2000; Cahal Milmo; 417 words ...Commander Robot" - a leader of the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf (Sword of God) which is behind the kidnapping, said...Earlier yesterday, another caller claiming to be from theAbu Sayyaf organisation warned a local radio station that the kidnappers...
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Up to six hostages killed as troops attempt rescue guerrillas attacked under fire PHILIPPINES ABDUCTIONS Islamic guerillas seize 100 more captives while reports says two Western tourists killed after a gun battle in jungle
The Independent (London, England); May 4, 2000; Kathy Marks; 700+ words ...Basilan, 600 miles south of Manila, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf (Father of the Sword) rebels. Fifteen of the hostages...during pre- dawn fighting. Commander Robot, a leader of AbuSayyaf, said that a white man had been killed by a stray bullet..
The Independent (London, England); May 4, 2000; Matt Frei in Jolo; 687 words ...ransom of $100,000 (about pounds 66,000). Now the Abu Sayyaf rebels took the bold step of stealing them from another...their Arab name, meaning "Bearer of the Sword", the AbuSayyaf sound like a regular group of extremists with a command.
Philippines hostages `have fled' escape escaped rebels'
The Independent (London, England); May 5, 2000; Kathy Marks; 323 words ...report of the escape by two white men came from a local radio station, DZMM, which quoted an unidentified source in AbuSayyaf, the separatist guerrilla group that has been holding the tourists and resort workers since kidnapping them on the Malaysian..
The Independent (London, England); May 5, 2000; 700+ words ...abductors are indeed an arm of the Abu Sayyaf, as claimed, there will be more...free the hostages held by the Sulu Abu Sayyaf. To internationalise that incident would imply that that Abu Sayyaf's group is a belligerent at war.
The Independent (London, England); May 7, 2000; 186 words ...headless bodies have been found by soldiers near a former stronghold of Muslim rebels. On nearby Jolo island, other Abu Sayyaf rebels holding 21 hostages, including 10 foreign tourists, have also threatened to behead two captives if the military...
The Independent (London, England); May 8, 2000; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words ...welfare. The group being held by Abu Sayyafguerrillas on the southern island...safety of the captives remain high. Abu Sayyaf rebels killed 13 soldiers yesterday...our country to be dismembered." Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two guerrilla organisations..
The Independent (London, England); May 9, 2000; Kathy Marks; 679 words ...President, Joseph Estrada, offered an olive branch to the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas yesterday, saying his government would be...consider community development projects in the area."Abu Sayyaf, which seized the 21 people from the Malaysian resort..
The Independent (London, England); May 11, 2000; Kathy Marks; 485 words ...returned empty- handed from their first meeting withAbu Sayyaf rebels on the southern island of Jolo yesterday. The...what they were, or whether they included a ransom. Abu Sayyaf is known to want the release from prison in the United.
The Independent (London, England); May 13, 2000; Kathy Marks; 700+ words ...done to us cannot be justified." Government negotiators again failed yesterday to make contact with the rebels fromAbu Sayyaf, one of two militias waging an armed struggle for an independent Islamic state. The delay led to the kidnappers postponing..
The Independent (London, England); May 18, 2000; Kathy Marks; 411 words ...should know." The first full negotiations with the AbuSayyaf guerrillas, who kidnapped the 21 from a Malaysian island...two South Africans and a Lebanese, were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf as part of its campaign for an independent Islamic state.
The Independent (London, England); May 19, 2000; Kathy Marks; 474 words ...Police said they were almost certainly the work of theAbu Sayyaf separatist guerrilla group. Negotiators are trying to...is possible that this is a diversionary tactic of the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas," he said.
The Independent (London, England); May 19, 2000; Arnaud Dubus in Jolo, southern Philippines; 700+ words ...negotiators on its way to meet the Abu Sayyaf rebels on Jolo island in the southern...48 hours. When we finally met the Abu Sayyaf leaders, we were told by an imam...split into small groups, patrol the Abu Sayyaf camp which is located on Mount Daho.
The Independent (London, England); May 26, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 643 words ...hostages are said to be sick and near-suicidal after 33 days in captivity. The guerrillas, a small extremist group named Abu Sayyaf, and other groups are demanding their own Islamic state on the large southern island of Mindanao. They have been blamed..
The Independent (London, England); May 27, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...under control. The Islamic group AbuSayyaf -"Sword of God" - holed up with...People's Army, and the 200-strong Abu Sayyaf, which makes up in brutality for...it was a domestic problem. But Abu Sayyaf's boldness in striking at foreign..
The Independent (London, England); July 7, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 683 words ...called Malay emergency, in which British national servicemen fought. In April, however, Islamic militants from the Abu Sayyaf group snatched a group of tourists from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan and took them back to their base on the..
The Independent (London, England); July 18, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...The Jolo hostages were victims of AbuSayyaf, or "Sword of God", a militant...killings. The war with the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf hostage drama have presented President...has spoken of suicidal thoughts. Abu Sayyaf had demanded US$1m (pounds 670..
The Independent (London, England); August 2, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry in Tokyo; 699 words ...terrorist attacks. There have been a series of bomb explosions in Philippine shopping centres. The small but violent Abu Sayyaf group continues to hold foreign tourists and local staff kidnapped in May from a diving resort on a Malaysian island..
The Independent (London, England); August 9, 2000; 176 words FOREIGN AGENCIES and governments are paying ransoms for release of their nationals held by fundamentalist Muslim rebels, a senior Philippine official admitted yesterday. The army says the AbuSayyaf factions have collected pounds 4m in ransoms
The Independent (London, England); August 17, 2000; Pat Roque in Jolo, Philippines; 433 words ...Dablo, an employee at the Sipadan island diving resort, in Malaysia, was one of 21 mostly foreign hostages abducted by AbuSayyaf rebels on 23 April and taken to Jolo island in the southern Philippines. Philippine negotiators have focused on gaining...
The Independent (London, England); August 20, 2000; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY and JOHN LICHFIELD IN PARIS; 700+ words ...the guerrillas of the Islamic group Abu Sayyaf had promised to release them from...captives and that it will go directly to Abu Sayyaf, enabling them to buy more guns...release failed to happen because of Abu Sayyaf's insistence on delivering their...
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How Mandela became the global peace-maker
The Independent (London, England); August 21, 2000; Alex Duval Smith in Johannesburg; 700+ words ...willingness to pay pounds 16.7m for the hostages - including two South Africans - who are held by the Libyan-trained Abu Sayyaf is just the latest stage in the rehabilitation of this long-standing supporter of the African National Congress. President..
The Independent (London, England); August 21, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...were released over the weekend by AbuSayyaf, an Islamic group which is fighting...Malaysians and a German woman. Publicly, Abu Sayyaf says it wants to string out the releases...to take custody of the hostages, AbuSayyaf said: "The [Philippine army...
The Independent (London, England); August 22, 2000; Robert Fisk in Beirut; 700+ words ...Last night, the 24 remaining hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf group for four months were awaiting the outcome...Moro rejected the deal, they changed their name to AbuSayyaf: the same Abu Sayyaf which now holds the hostages. It was also this...
The Independent (London, England); August 22, 2000; 700+ words ...the outrageous suggestion that the Abu Sayyaf bandit chief be allowed to escape...that "crime does not pay". If the Abu Sayyaf gutter-rats are successful in this...analysts, are of the belief that the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers will always hold an inventory..
The Independent (London, England); August 23, 2000; Anne Penketh; 553 words ...yesterday that Libya would pay a total of $12m to theAbu Sayyaf rebels to free the foreign hostages. The money is to be...release of three Islamic militants held in US jails, the Abu Sayyef rebels sought a ransom payment. They initially.
The Independent (London, England); August 28, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...night, as the Islamic rebel group, AbuSayyaf, released five of its Western captives...in the southern Philippines where Abu Sayyaf is one of a number of groups fighting...people flock to claim a share in Abu Sayyaf's new- found wealth. The agreement..
The Independent (London, England); August 29, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...Islamic students and mujahedin known as Abu Sayyaf. Filipinos knew of them as a small...them in the mid-Nineties. But Abu Sayyaf was as remote from the concerns of...Philippines has changed all that.Abu Sayyaf may be steadily releasing its Western.
The Independent (London, England); August 30, 2000; 700+ words ...and vague political ambitions. The Abu Sayyafkidnappers are clearly most interested...crisis may be massacred not by the Abu Sayyaf bandits but by lightning if they...Jolo and Zamboanga. Not while the AbuSayyaf is on a buying spree of high-powered.
The Independent (London, England); August 30, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...American man had been abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Islamic guerrilla group. A spokesman...relations between our two countries." AbuSayyaf is believed to have been paid millions...Schilling. Far from a ransom placating Abu Sayyaf, the world now faces a well-funded..
The Independent (London, England); September 7, 2000; 167 words THE RELEASE of six Europeans and a Filipino held hostage for months in the southern Philippines by Muslim rebels from the separatist Abu Sayyaf group is expected tomorrow, negotiators said
The Independent (London, England); September 12, 2000; Sarah El Deeb; 461 words ...Philippines yesterday after being held for months by the Abu Sayyef, the rebel group fighting for an independent Muslim...released, three Malaysian men were abducted near where Abu Sayyaf rebels kidnapped 21 people, including the four Europeans..
The Independent (London, England); September 17, 2000; ALEXANDER YOUNG IN JOLO, PHILIPPINES; 684 words ...killed or wounded in the blitz on Abu Sayyafrebel bases on the southern island...problem are being scoffed at by the Abu Sayyaf group." The Defence Secretary...they feared revenge attacks by the Abu Sayyafbut all was quiet before the 9pm..
The Independent (London, England); September 18, 2000; Lloyd Rundle; 453 words ...exhaust all means to save and rescue the victims from the Abu Sayyaf captors," he said. "We should destroy the AbuSayyaf so that they can longer engage in kidnap for ransom activities..
The Independent (London, England); September 20, 2000; Imre Karacs in Berlin; 556 words ...hampered by its own spies getting in each other's way. The Libyans, who eventually paid the ransom demanded by the Abu Sayyaf group, were approached by two different outfits claiming to represent the German intelligence service BND. The confusion..
The Independent (London, England); September 20, 2000; 700+ words ...country more thoroughly than the Abu Sayyaf - indeed that has held up the country more than theAbu Sayyaf. It is a war that requires more...of force than the war against the Abu Sayyaf. It is the war against cronyism..
The Independent (London, England); September 21, 2000; John Lichfield in Paris; 700+ words ...Roland Madura - members of a France 2 television crew, taken captive 10 weeks ago - slipped unseen from a column of Abu Sayyafrebels who were fleeing government troops in the middle of the night. The two men hid behind a building and then ran.
The Independent (London, England); September 26, 2000; Jim Gomez in Jolo, Philippines; 453 words ...Secretary, Orlando Mercado, said two Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed in a clash yesterday...been unconfirmed reports that some AbuSayyaf were able to escape to nearby Basilan...process or fair trial, the other Abu Sayyaf leaders will follow," Oliver Lozano.
The Independent (London, England); October 3, 2000; 191 words ...to visit a Muslim rebel camp to pray for other hostages. The recovery yesterday of the Filipino Christians, held by Abu Sayyafrebels for three months, left five hostages still in guerrilla hands
Hunted rebels `trying to give up'
The Independent (London, England); October 7, 2000; 180 words MEMBERS OF a Muslim rebel group, Abu Sayyaf, holding five hostages, including three Malaysians and an American, are trying to surrender after dodging 5,000 troops hunting them in the jungle on southern Jolo island for three weeks, Philippine officers said yesterday.
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The Independent (London, England); October 12, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 699 words ...hostages freed and none known to have been killed. The Manila government reported yesterday that many of the members of the Abu Sayyaf group, which is fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines, are hungry, exhausted and on the verge...
The Independent (London, England); December 17, 2000; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY IN JOLO, THE PHILIPPINES; 700+ words ...allegedly by Filipino soldiers pursuing Abu Sayyaf, a group of Muslim extremists who...fruitless attempts to wipe out the Abu Sayyafand rescue their two remaining hostages...former guerrilla army which opposes Abu Sayyaf and has officially made its peace.
The Independent (London, England); December 31, 2000; RAYMOND WHITAKER; 544 words ...hotels exploded and killed two police bomb disposal officers as they tried to defuse it. Suspicion immediately fell on Abu Sayyaf, the smaller and more militant of the two groups fighting for autonomy in the Muslim areas of the southern Philippines..
The Independent (London, England); January 12, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry; 700+ words ...to Basilan by a rebel group called Abu Sayyaf. Yesterday, within hours of young Eiman's disappearance, Abu Sayyafwas being blamed. If that is true...independent Muslim state in Mindanao, Abu Sayyaf are the newest, the most politically..
The Independent (London, England); January 13, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Zamboanga; 700+ words ...Basilan frequently co- operates with Abu Sayyaf, a smaller and more extreme group...they'll pass the hostages onto Abu Sayyaffor a while until the pressure eases...situation so difficult for us."Abu Sayyaf released all but two of its foreign.
The Independent (London, England); January 14, 2001; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY ON BASINAL ISLAND; 700+ words ...Commander Usman is said to have strong connections with AbuSayyaf, the terrorist gang who gained millions of pounds in...group. Six Christian coconut planters were grabbed by Abu Sayyaf last November, but locals told the military and the..
The Independent (London, England); January 15, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Zamboanga, Philippines; 700+ words ...and foreign tourists held by the AbuSayyaf terrorist group after they were kidnapped...of holding his step-daughter. Abu Sayyaf, the group that kidnapped the foreign...in August voluntarily visited an Abu Sayyafcommander on Jolo. As he was preparing..
The Independent (London, England); February 4, 2001; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY; 685 words ...is Douglas Grant, a caterer from Inverness. It was speculated at the time that the little girl had been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf, an radical Islamic group which raised millions of pounds in ransoms last year, after kidnapping foreign tourists in.
The Independent (London, England); March 4, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry; 700+ words ...mysterious terrorist group called Abu Sayyaf[ASG]. No one can agree on how...American hostage. Last winter,Abu Sayyaf were a small and obscure group of...army. How did this happen? Who are Abu Sayyaf and where did they come from? And.
The Independent (London, England); April 13, 2001; Paul Alexander in Manila; 556 words ...a 10-day series of assaults on AbuSayyaf rebels on the southern island of...of the rebels, was not held. TheAbu Sayyaf, the smallest of the three rebel...million-dollar ransoms. TheAbu Sayyaf claims it is fighting for a separate.
The Independent (London, England); May 28, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Miri, Malaysia; 700+ words ...speedboat, are apparently members of Abu Sayyaf, the extremist Muslim group which...west of the Philippines, where the AbuSayyaf Group (ASG) is based. The 20 captives...the apparent involvement of the Abu Sayyaf Group and the capture of American.
The Independent (London, England); May 29, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Miri, Malaysian Borneo; 700+ words ABU SAYYAF, the notorious Islamic rebel group, yesterday...Macapagal Arroyo, vowed to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, saying she would not let up until "you...have been divided between two groups ofAbu Sayyaf guerrillas on the neighbouring jungle islands..
The Independent (London, England); May 30, 2001; 197 words ...on military operations. The military, under orders from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to use force against the Abu Sayyaf rebels behind Sunday's abductions, said they had not yet pinpointed their location
The Independent (London, England); June 1, 2001; 183 words THE MUSLIM rebel group in the Philippines said two of the hostages they held were killed early today in a clash with troops. The Abu Sayyafguerrillas kidnapped 17 Filipinos and three Americans on Sunday from a luxury resort and claimed today that they had abducted 10 more people.
The Independent (London, England); June 3, 2001; 420 words ...rebels, who call themselves theAbu Sayyaf, entered the town early Saturday...and some hostages on Friday. The Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for an independent...are with the suicide squad of the Abu Sayyaf. There are many innocent lives who..
The Independent (London, England); June 4, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 663 words ...yesterday, soldiers in the southern Philippines discovered the mutilated bodies of two hostages murdered by the Islamic Abu SayyafGroup (ASG). The two Filipino men were identified as Sonny Dacquero and Armando Bayona, employees at the luxury beach..
The Independent (London, England); June 8, 2001; 182 wordsABU SAYYAF guerrillas holding US and Filipino hostages threatened to behead three American captives "within 72 hours" yesterday if the Philippines government rejected their demand for a Malaysian negotiator to end the crisis. The government reiterated its threat of military action.
The Independent (London, England); June 12, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 324 words ...made its first compromise with the Abu Sayyaf guerrilla group yesterday in a last...of a Malaysian mediator whom the Abu Sayyaf had demanded to meet. "We want...group of Westerners last year. The AbuSayyaf commander, Abu Sabaya, responded..
The Independent (London, England); June 13, 2001; Kathy Marks; 648 words ABU SAYYAFguerrillas claimed on radio yesterday to have beheaded an American hostage...Americans and 17 Filipinos abducted by the guerrillas. A leader of the group, Abu Sabaya, told a local radio station yesterday Mr Sobero had been beheaded...
The Independent (London, England); June 14, 2001; 180 words Children watching soldiers patrol in Lantawan in the southern Philippines province of Basilan, as the search continues for an American hostage that Muslim rebels claim to have beheaded. Three bodies have been found on Abu Sayyaf guerrilla territory Aaron Favila/ AP
The Independent (London, England); June 28, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...region, piracy has a political dimension, particularly in the southern Philippines, where the Muslim guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf has made millions of pounds from ransoming kidnapped tourists. Attacks typically take place at night and are launched.
The Independent (London, England); June 28, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...region, piracy has a political dimension, particularly in the southern Philippines, where the Muslim guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf has made millions of pounds from ransoming kidnapped tourists. Attacks typically take place at night and are launched..
The Independent (London, England); July 10, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...seized one of the senior commanders ofAbu Sayyaf, the Islamic guerrilla group that...officers said he was responsible for the Abu Sayyaf raid five weeks ago on a luxury island...is a great setback for the ASG [AbuSayyaf Group]. I think with this capture.
The Independent (London, England); August 4, 2001; Dirk Beveridge in Manila; 399 words ...in May. Military leaders said the AbuSayyaf militants struck a village outside...militants yesterday afternoon. The Abu Sayyaf militants, thought to number 1...Macapagal Arroyo has vowed to crush AbuSayyaf and the latest attack came after.
The Independent (London, England); August 6, 2001; 180 words PHILLIPINE TROOPS rescued 13 Filipino hostages, mostly children, during a gun battle with Muslim guerillas yesterday on the southern island of Basilan. The fighting erupted after fundamentalist AbuSayyaf rebels beheaded 10 other Filipinos they had abducted on Thursday.
The Independent (London, England); August 25, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 472 words ...that soldiers allowed members of the Abu Sayyaf group to escape from an apparently...government, Father Nacorda described how Abu Sayyafleaders and army officers negotiated...Three months have passed since the Abu Sayyafsnatched 20 tourists, including..
The Independent (London, England); September 24, 2001; 174 words THE FBI wants to interrogate two captured members of the Muslim group Abu Sayyaf, which has held two US missionaries hostage on Basilan island in the Phillipines for four months. The captured guerrillas may face charges in the US
The Independent (London, England); September 25, 2001; Andrew Buncombe in Washington; 700+ words ...The group's leader had links to AbuHamza al-Masri, the one-eyed cleric...ida/Islamic Army Osama bin Laden Abu Sayyaf group Armed Islamic group (GIA) Harakat...Army of Aden Muhammad Atif (aka Subhi AbuSitta, Abu Hafs Al Masri) Sayf al..
The Independent (London, England); October 5, 2001; Oliver Teves in Manila; 480 words ...which 202 people have been abducted, including three Americans and 17 Filipinos seized by the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf from a tourist resort in May. More than half of the abductions occurred in Manila, and the victims were mostly wealthy.
The Independent (London, England); October 6, 2001; Kathy Marks; 570 words ...taken hostage by the separatist group Abu Sayyaf from a resort off Palawan in late...whereabouts were pinpointed by an Abu Sayyaf member recently captured by the military...identity. The United States has named AbuSayyaf as one of the groups that support.
The Independent (London, England); October 9, 2001; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words ...embassy. The Philippines government expressed support for the strikes, but placed its troops on alert for reprisals by Abu Sayyafrebels, which is said to be linked to Osama bin Laden. Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, which is.
The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry; 700+ words ...the islands in his sights in his attempts to wipe out Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic bandit group which bases its kidnapping...and the outlying islands of Jolo and Basilan where the AbuSayyaf Group has its bases. The ASG, as it is known, was..
The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Rupert Cornwell and Kim Sengupta; 700+ words ...troops fighting the insurgency of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic movement. Currently hundreds ofAbu Sayyaf guerrillas are fighting the Philippine...traces of a relationship" between Abu Sayyaf and the group which planned the 11..
The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Donald Macintyre in Muscat and Rupert Cornwell in; 700+ words ...financial and other links. A small team of US advisers will go to the Philippines this month to help the battle against the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas operating in the southern part of the country. The British Government took the remarkable step yesterday..
The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Rupert Cornwell and Kim Sengupta; 700+ words ...troops fighting the insurgency of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic movement. Currently hundreds ofAbu Sayyaf guerrillas are fighting the Philippine...traces of a relationship" between Abu Sayyaf and the group which planned the 11..
The Independent (London, England); October 12, 2001; 182 words A FILIPINO farmer held hostage for months by the AbuSayyaf Muslim rebels escaped this week, the army said yesterday. Jesus Faisal Benasing, a Muslim from Basilan island in the south of the country, where the Islamist separatists are fighting the military, fled during a battle.
The Independent (London, England); November 20, 2001; James Palmer; 589 words ...soldiers were killed. Meanwhile, government forces have launched a concerted offensive against the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group, which is now holding an American couple and a Filipino nurse in the jungle of Basilan island, north of Jolo.
The Independent (London, England); November 27, 2001; Jim Gomez in Manila; 361 words ...illness, gunfire and the constant spectre of death. The brief footage, showing Gracia and Martin Burnham surrounded by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas with heavy weaponry, was the first video shown of the Wichita, Kansas, couple since they were abducted...
The Independent (London, England); January 9, 2002; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 700+ words ...special forces seeking to end the insurrection by the Abu Sayyafmilitant group in the country. "If they could clear Abu Sayyaf out of Basilan island, that would be a small blow against..
CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM: US identifies extremists in Philippines as next target
The Independent (London, England); February 1, 2002; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 659 words ...Filipino soldiers. Their target is theAbu Sayyaf guerrilla group whose stronghold...hone their skills to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf scourge". But not all Filipinos...take part in the fighting. As the Abu Sayyaf operation began, news came of the..
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The Independent (London, England); February 3, 2002; Stuart Price; 330 words ...independent state for 30 years. He visits the territory of the Abu Sayyaf gang (above), which al-Qa'ida funded until Osama...Christian country $100m and 650 troops to close down AbuSayyaf. But the move has only convinced local Muslims that.
Boxing: Tyson remains a wanted man world wide
The Independent (London, England); February 10, 2002; GARY LEMKE; 700+ words ...which has been saddled with a bad reputation over law and order problems, including kidnappings by the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group in the south. "We would like to focus on the other side of the Philippines," Gordon said. "It would also.
US forces move on Filipino militants Gunship diplomacy As Bush starts Asian tour, troops embark on next stage of `war on terror'
The Independent (London, England); February 17, 2002; DAVID USBORNE in New York; 700+ words ...extremist Muslim rebels. The rebel movement, called the Abu Sayyaf, has been linked by Washington to the al-Qa'ida...injured more than 40 others. An army commander blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the blasts, saying it was retaliation for army assaults..
CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM: Bush maps out global strategy against enemies
The Independent (London, England); March 12, 2002; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 700+ words ...resources and assistance to train local troops as it has done in the Philippines to aid Manila's efforts to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf radical Islamic separatists. Much the same goes for Georgia, where Washington will send up to 150 military trainers.
Al-Qa'ida fighters fleeing to South-east Asia, FBI warns
The Independent (London, England); March 18, 2002; Andrew Buncombe in Washington; 460 words ...forces are assisting local troops in operations against the AbuSayyaf guerrilla group, which has been linked to al-Qa'ida...terrorists has been captured in Sudan. The report said that Abu Anas Al-Liby - who at one time in lived in Manchester.
Senators launch inquiry into army torture claims
The Independent (London, England); April 11, 2002; Jim Gomez in Manila; 360 words ...arrests and killings by soldiers during a campaign against Abu Sayyaf rebels and supporters on the island of Basilan last year...he was deformed, almost unrecognisable." Victims ofAbu Sayyaf attended the hearing. Erlinda Tarroza, whose brother.
Philippines bomb blasts leave at least 14 dead
The Independent (London, England); April 22, 2002; Paul Alexander in Manila; 306 words ...least 14 people and injuring 45. An hour earlier a radio station caller, claiming to be from the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, had warned of the blasts. One bomb exploded outside a busy department store in the city of General Santos, killing.
Philippines: President offers $100,000 for capture of terrorists who killed 14 in bomb blasts
The Independent (London, England); April 23, 2002; 231 words ...radio station, who had warned of the bombings an hour before the first blast, claimed responsibility in the name of Abu Sayyaf, a group of Islamic extremists linked to al- Qa'ida.
Philippines guerrilla leader is arrested
The Independent (London, England); May 24, 2002; Jim Gomez in Zamboanga; 468 words ...heads a special operations unit of AbuSayyaf, an extremist group that has been...and Basilan, the island base of Abu Sayyaf. Supt Bartolome said: "This guy...behalf of Al Harakatul Islamiya, Abu Sayyaf's formal name. Two suspects arrested..
President salutes troops for hostage rescue
The Independent (London, England); June 12, 2002; 224 words ...for rescuing a US missionary and she mourned the death of a Filipino hostage at the hands of Muslim extremist rebels, Abu Sayyaf. Her trip to Basilan Island came four days after troops freed US hostage Gracia Burnham, who had been held for a year..
Philippine rebel chief `shot dead'
The Independent (London, England); June 22, 2002; Andrew Buncombe in Washington; 700+ words ...the southern island of Mindanao. Abu Sabaya, the most visible of the commanders of the AbuSayyaf group, was shot during a firefight...saw his body sink. "The captured Abu Sayyaf members confirmed that one of those...
Filipino commandos clash with Abu Sayyaf rebels
The Independent (London, England); June 29, 2002; Oliver Teves in Manila; 417 words ...BATTLE was raging between soldiers and Abu Sayyaf rebels in the southern Philippines...had already overrun four camps of AbuSayyaf, which has been linked to al- Qa...Sulu, right in the camp where theAbu Sayyaf was born," she said. A military..
Filipino rebels kidnap Avon sales team
The Independent (London, England); August 22, 2002; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 346 words ...island of Jolo, a stronghold of the AbuSayyaf guerrillas, have become the rebels...the group were still being held. Abu Sayyaf, a separatist Muslim organisation...purpose of the kidnap was not clear. Abu Sayyafoften demands ransoms, but has also.
Jehovah's Witnesses beheaded by Filipino rebels
The Independent (London, England); August 23, 2002; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 676 words ...crippled the Muslim extremist groupAbu Sayyaf, the Filipino rebels left a grisly...declaring that the crackdown had left Abu Sayyaf "in disarray and on the run...army shelled suspected hideouts of Abu Sayyaf, which has committed mass kidnappings.
World's most wanted: the new faces of terror
The Independent (London, England); August 25, 2002; Raymond Whitaker; 700+ words ...between al-Qa'ida and the murderous AbuSayyaf group, led by Khadafi Janjalani...be awaiting a suitable candidate. Abu Nidal: world's most notorious...Khadafi Janjalani: leader of murderous Abu Sayyaf group, fighting for separate Muslim.
American soldier killed in Filipino nail bomb attack
The Independent (London, England); October 3, 2002; Rupert Cornwell; 638 words ...operations this year against the local AbuSayyaf terrorist group, which is linked...made, heightening concerns that the Abu Sayyaf presence in the southern Philippines...that the group and its allies in Abu Sayyaf were planning attacks on unspecified.
BALI BOMBING: Spain claims its warning over Indonesian terror cell went unheeded
The Independent (London, England); October 21, 2002; Kathy Marks and Elizabeth Nash in Madrid; 666 words ...investigate Parlin's whereabouts. Abu Dahdah, a Syrian with Spanish nationality...mosque. Spanish police had been tapping Abu Dahdah's phone since 1995. In the...days and the second in Zamboanga. AbuSayyaf, a group linked to al-Qa'ida..
CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERROR: INDONESIA: Bali police have sketches of three bomb suspects
The Independent (London, England); October 24, 2002; Kathy Marks in Jakarta; 700+ words ...Police in the Philippines paraded five men before the press yesterday, saying they were members of the Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf, suspected of involvement in at least three bombings in the southern city of Zamboanga.
THE PHILIPPINES: Arrest 'foils bombing of US embassy'
The Independent (London, England); November 15, 2002; 189 words The top bomber from the Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel group has been arrested and a plot to attack the US embassy, shopping malls and the Manila stock exchange foiled, President..
THREAT OF WAR: DIPLOMACY - Resolution is timed with questions over weapons
The Independent (London, England); February 22, 2003; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 698 words ...terrorism, the Pentagon is sending 3,000 troops to the southern Philippines to try to stamp out the radical Islamic group Abu Sayyaf, which has kidnapped Westerners and may have links with al-Qa'ida.
Bomb attack kills 19 at airport in Philippines
The Independent (London, England); March 5, 2003; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words ...Yesterday's attack followed an agreement by the Manila government for American troops to join Philippine units fightingAbu Sayyaf, a Muslim separatist guerrilla force linked with the al-Qa'ida terrorist network. The blast demolished the shelter...
Abu Sayyaf rebels say they struck Philippines airport
The Independent (London, England); March 6, 2003; John O'Callaghan in Manila; 501 words ...television network as a leader ofAbu Sayyaf. But military officials in the Philippines were sceptical. They said that Abu Sayyaf - blacklisted by Washington as a...Sulu islands, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group. The Philippine constitution..
Philippines rebel chief shot dead ; World News IN BRIEF
The Independent (London, England); January 18, 2007; 208 words ...troops have scored a major victory in the US- backed campaign to rout the militant Islamic Abu Sayyafgroup, killing one of its most senior leaders. Abu Sulaiman, 41, also known as Jainal Antel Sali, had a $5m ([pound]2.5m) bounty placed...
Kidnapped boy survived in Filipino jungle on sweets and coconuts after daring escape
The Independent (London, England); December 12, 2011; 569 words ...southern Philippine jungle by the feared Abu Sayyaf rebel group has made an audacious...volatile south is blamed mainly on AbuSayyaf, a militant Islamic separatist group...and equipping local forces to fight Abu Sayyaf. He was then flown to the capital...
'Demolition Man' appears in court a decade after Bali bombings
The Independent (London, England); February 14, 2012; 552 words ...Indonesia, he travelled to the southern Philippines, where he allegedly joined forces with the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf, training militants and plotting attacks. He then moved to Pakistan, and was planning to continue on to Afghanistan...
April 25, 2000, The Independent (London), Armed bandits seize tourists on tropical isle, by Kathy Marks;
MALAYSIA AND the Philippines were co-operating last night to secure the release of about 20 people, half of them foreign tourists, kidnapped by a heavily armed gang from a tropical resort island off Borneo, in eastern Malaysia.
Malaysian officials said they had located the whereabouts of the group, who were taken captive late on Sunday on the scenic island of Sipadan, an internationally renowned diving centre. They said they believed them all to be safe and alive, but gave no further details.
The Philippines Defence Secretary, Orlando Mercado, said the navy had been ordered to intercept the gunmen who were believed to be heading for the Philippines in two fishing boats. The hostages were thought to include nine Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two Finns, one Lebanese, two South Africans and one Filipino.
What was unclear was whether the gunmen, who were armed with rocket launchers and automatic weapons, were Filipino Muslim rebels fighting for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines or some of the pirates active in the waters between eastern Malaysia and the southern Philippines.
Two American tourists, both aged 51, managed to escape when the six masked gunmen took the group hostage at their resort after storming the police station and the wildlife and forestry centre on Sibadan, which is about 20 miles off Sabah, the Malaysian side of Borneo island. The two men ran off into woods and then raised the alarm.
There was mounting speculation last night that the gunmen might be Philippines Muslim extremists who have recently extended their campaign for a separate Islamic state. Mr Mercado, said the attackers spoke Tausug, a dialect used in the Mindanao region of the southern Philippines. They also appeared to be fluent in English.
The Philippine authorities, who were pounding the southern rebel stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group yesterday to try to free dozens of hostages held by the militia, put the air force and navy on alert last night. The separatist rebel group has been holding 27 people hostage, many of them children, for the past five weeks.
Mr Mercado said that if the gunmen who seized the foreign tourists in Sipadan were from Abu Sayyaf, it could be a "diversionary tactic" aimed at the armed forces and police in the southern Philippines.
A photographer who was at the Sipadan resort when the gunmen stormed it said they took his wallet, watch and mobile telephone before ordering the group of holidaymakers to swim out to the two boats.
The resort, which is surrounded by white sand beaches and the clear waters of the Sulawesi Sea, is a famed diving area about 45 minutes by boat from the Philippines.
May 18, 2000, The Independent (London), Philippine kidnappers demand $2m, by Kathy Marks, 411 words,
THE FATE of 21 people abducted by Filipino Muslim rebels hung in the balance yesterday, with the hostages, who include 10 foreign tourists, traced to a remote island in the southern Philippines and their kidnappers reported to be demanding a ransom of 100 million pesos (pounds 1.5m).
In a day of fast-moving developments, the group of captives - taken from a Malaysian resort island on Sunday - was sighted on Jolo island, in Sulu province, a lawless region notorious for pirates, bandits and religious insurgents.
Philippine naval, air force and army units were deployed in preparation for a rescue attempt, but the authorities in Manila were still hoping to secure the release of the hostages through negotiation.
There is little doubt that the hostages are being held by rebels connected to Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two guerrilla organisations fighting for an independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines. Two of them, who are Malaysians, are expected to be freed shortly because they are Muslims.
The Philippine Defence Minister, Orlando Mercado, said yesterday that the group had been located near the town of Talipao, 600 miles south of Manila, in the Sulu Sea. Local officials had "indicated to us that they are alive", he said, adding: "They are well. They don't look any worse than when they were taken."
Mr Mercado, who yesterday visited Jolo, a mountainous island which is one of the largest in the Sulu group, said of the captors: "We don't know for sure, but these personalities are a mixture of Abu Sayyaf and former [rebels] and are known for kidnap for ransom."
Military forces have been sent to secure the area around Talipao, on Jolo, part of an impoverished group of islands.
The hostages - three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, two French tourists and one Lebanese woman, plus one Filipino and 10 Malaysians - are believed to have been taken to Jolo shortly after being seized from a resort on Sipadan Island, in Malaysia's Sabah state, off the coast of Borneo island. On Jolo, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, the hostages were split into two groups and moved from one hideout to another to avoid detection, Mr Mercado said. They are reportedly being held under the command of a guerrilla leader known as Commander Robot, who police say is notorious locally.
A military report said there were 15 kidnappers, not six, as reported earlier by Malaysian and Philippine officials. They are said to comprise 12 Malay-speaking people, two speakers of Tausug, a southern Philippine language, and one person of Caucasian appearance.
Abu Sayyaf rebels are currently under attack in their stronghold on nearby Basilan island by government troops who are trying to rescue 27 Filipinos, mainly schoolchildren, who have been held hostage for more than five weeks.
Joseph Estrada, the President of the Philippines, yesterday appointed Nur Misuari, head of the Moro National Liberation Front, to be the government's negotiator with the kidnappers. The MNLF, once the country's largest Muslim rebel group, signed a treaty with the government in 1996.
Five more people were arrested in Sabah by Malaysian police, in addition to five detained on Tuesday on suspicion of abetting the abductions. According to military officers, kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative sideline in recent years for separatist rebels. "One day they are Abu Sayyaf, the next morning they are bandits, the next they are pirates," one officer said.
Although the Philippine head of military intelligence, Major General Jose Calimlim, confirmed that the hostages had not been harmed, there were fears for their safety. Abu Sayyaf rebels have not shied away from violence in the past. Last week they claimed to have beheaded two of their captives on Basilan because the government had failed to meet their demands: the release of two Islamic extremists in jail in the United States, including the mastermind of the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York in 1993.
Mr Mercado said he did not know whether the abductions from Sipadan were related to the military assault on the Abu Sayyaf base on Basilan. Asked how quickly the situation with the Malaysian group could be resolved, he replied: "Only God can determine how soon it will be over. Our basic consideration is the safety of the hostages. At the same time, we hope we will bring an end to this kidnap for ransom gang. They have obviously extended their evil intent into neighbouring countries."
September 28, 2011, Press Gazette, Adam Leigh steps down as Independent deputy editor, by Andrew Pugh,
Adam Leigh is stepping down as joint deputy editor of The Independent.
The Independent said Leigh was leaving after 16 years with the broadsheet to pursue "new opportunities outside the paper".
Leigh joined the title in 1995 from the Birmingham Post, where he was news editor, and has since held several senior roles at The Independent and the Independent on Sunday.
In 2003 he moved from news editor to executive editor, features, where he took charge of the Review section, and last year was appointed one of two deputy editors alongside Dan Gledhill.
In a statement the paper said that Leigh had played a "key role" in the Independent's creative development, including the 2003 launch of the compact format of the paper, and the development of The Independent's cut-price stablemate i.
"It has been a privilege to work for such a great newspaper and with such talented, creative and dedicated colleagues for the past 16 years," said Leigh.
"I want to thank everybody for their friendship, support and generosity – and to wish them the very best of everything."
Chris Blackhurst, who replaced Simon Kelner as editor of The Independent in July, said: "Adam has played a distinguished part in the story of The Independent. He departs with our very best wishes and deep gratitude".
Andrew Mullins, the managing director of The Independent and Independent on Sunday, added: "We are grateful to Adam for a magnificent contribution to the papers and hope he will enjoy great success in his future career."
Gledhill remains as deputy editor.
May 9, 2000; International Herald Tribune Manila and Muslim Insurgents Have a Lot of Talking to Do, Konrad Muller;
As the world now knows, the Abu Sayyaf is an Islamic extremist group, a loose criminal syndicate, with an often brutal history of hostage-taking. Just over two weeks ago, armed gunmen linked to the group raided a Malaysian diving resort and kidnapped 21 hostages, including 10 tourists. Taking the captives by speedboat back to the southern Philippines and threatening to kill them if its demands were not met, the Abu Sayyaf propelled itself and the remote islands of Jolo and Basilan, where it operates, into global prime time.
Meanwhile, the country's leading Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, unleashed a campaign of violence and sabotage on the main southern island of Mindanao last week. In the Philippine south, conflict has burned and then simmered for 30 years. At its peak in the 1970s, more than 100,000 people were reported killed in fighting between government forces and Muslim secessionists. The latter resented their incorporation into the largely Christian Philippines as an act of colonial duplicity between Spain and the United States. Immigration from the north of the country left them a minority in Mindanao. The dismal results of this dispossession and alienation are all too apparent today.
Of the Philippines' 77 provinces, the five with a Muslim majority were ranked lowest in a United Nations human development index released this year. Per capita income, life expectancy and functional literacy were generally the lowest in the country. As with poverty, so with lawlessness. Police statistics show that the Muslim-majority provinces have the most guns per head in the Philippines. In the jungles and mountains of central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, including Basilan and Jolo, authority fades in a blur of bandits, rebels and military outlaw groups bequeathed by multiple insurgencies over many years. Kidnapping has become a cottage industry.
The one sane solution, an autonomy deal recognizing the ancestral claims of the Muslims in the south, is being discredited. Under a 1996 agreement signed with Manila, the Moro National Liberation Front headed by Nur Misuari was given an autonomous region of four provinces in exchange for peace. Now it is being discredited by lack of resources and its performance in running the autonomous government. Corruption, poor accountability for public funds, lack of transparency, a bloated bureaucracy, simple incompetence the alleged ills make a dreary list. When a vote is held next year on expanding the autonomous region, just one more province is likely to join; a far larger domain was once expected.
Front officials accuse Manila of bad faith. Meanwhile, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front preserves the dream of secession in the Philippine south. It has 15,000 regulars, including 600 graduates from the Afghan war, and is now at the center of spiraling hostilities. Its chairman, Salimat Hashim, sees East Timor's break from Indonesia as an important precedent and routinely calls for a United Nations-administered plebiscite on Mindanao. But it is hard to see Manila relinquishing any part of the south. Nor is there international enthusiasm. Many believe that, like the larger MNLF before it, the MILF will accept less than independence, if tortuous peace talks can be kept on track. The MILF are no innocents. However, questions arise as to whether the government of President Joseph Estrada has the patience to salvage a peace process close to collapse. There is doubt that he appreciates the complexities of the south. Mr. Estrada has shown a penchant for ultimatums and deadlines. Earlier this year he said a peace deal must be concluded by June 30.
Serious questions have also surfaced over the events that led the MILF to suspend peace talks indefinitely on April 30. Strangely, the army allegedly mounted an attack on a disputed strip of road close to MILF headquarters, after a solution had been brokered by negotiators. This triggered last week's spate of reprisal attacks by the MILF. Now Manila is reportedly saying it will accept a cease-fire if the rebels lay down their arms. Predictably, the MILF has called such terms next to impossible.
One former Mindanao congressman has suggested that Mr. Estrada, a weak president harassed by domestic critics, is seeking a diversion. Maybe this is unfair. Sober heads know that neither the Philippine south nor the nation can stand a return to general war. The military would smash the MILF's bases. A nasty guerrilla conflict would follow. The fighting would split the moderate MNLF, leading to more poverty and lawlessness. This is why respected public figures in the Philippines, such as former President Corazon Aquino and Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin, are saying: Still the guns, come back to the negotiating table.
-- The writer, a former Australian diplomat, is now a free-lance journalist based in Manila. He contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune.
April 26, 2000,The Independent, Armed guards mount watch on paradise as rebels claim to have 21 more hostages, by Kathy Marks; 700+ words
April 27, 2000,The Independent, Philippine militants demand pounds 1.5m ransom for tourists,Kathy Marks
April 29, 2000,The Independent (London,) Hostages `face beheading threat', 182 words
May 1, 2000,The Independent, Bandits escape soldiers' attempt to rescue children, by Katherine Butler;
May 2, 2000,The Independent (London,) Western hostages' plea: We can't take any more, Adam Leigh;
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We'll behead hostages, say Philippine rebels The Independent (London, England); May 3, 2000; Konrad Muller in Manila; 700+ words ...leader of the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf, who identified himself by the nom...Missuari's negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf have achieved very limited progress...are among the hostages. A second Abu Sayyafhostage drama affords ample reason.
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Rebels threatened 'two heads for tomorrow' The Independent (London, England); May 3, 2000; Konrad Muller in Manila; 700+ words ...ago when armed fighters from the Abu Sayyafmovement seized a group of tourists...the weekend. A supposed leader of Abu Sayyaf, who identified himself by the nom...Mr Missuari's negotiations with Abu Sayyaf have achieved limited progress so..
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Two hostages reported dead as Muslim rebels clash with army The Independent (London, England); May 3, 2000; Cahal Milmo; 417 words ...Commander Robot" - a leader of the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf (Sword of God) which is behind the kidnapping, said...Earlier yesterday, another caller claiming to be from theAbu Sayyaf organisation warned a local radio station that the kidnappers...
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Up to six hostages killed as troops attempt rescue guerrillas attacked under fire PHILIPPINES ABDUCTIONS Islamic guerillas seize 100 more captives while reports says two Western tourists killed after a gun battle in jungle
The Independent (London, England); May 4, 2000; Kathy Marks; 700+ words ...Basilan, 600 miles south of Manila, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf (Father of the Sword) rebels. Fifteen of the hostages...during pre- dawn fighting. Commander Robot, a leader of AbuSayyaf, said that a white man had been killed by a stray bullet..
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Rebels discover their goldmine in kidnappings The Independent (London, England); May 4, 2000; Matt Frei in Jolo; 687 words ...ransom of $100,000 (about pounds 66,000). Now the Abu Sayyaf rebels took the bold step of stealing them from another...their Arab name, meaning "Bearer of the Sword", the AbuSayyaf sound like a regular group of extremists with a command.
The Independent (London, England); May 5, 2000; Kathy Marks; 323 words ...report of the escape by two white men came from a local radio station, DZMM, which quoted an unidentified source in AbuSayyaf, the separatist guerrilla group that has been holding the tourists and resort workers since kidnapping them on the Malaysian..
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Monitor: International comment on the growing unrest in the Philippines after Islamic guerrillas took tourists hostage,The Independent (London, England); May 5, 2000; 700+ words ...abductors are indeed an arm of the Abu Sayyaf, as claimed, there will be more...free the hostages held by the Sulu Abu Sayyaf. To internationalise that incident would imply that that Abu Sayyaf's group is a belligerent at war.
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PHILIPPINES REBEL VICTIMS FOUND The Independent (London, England); May 7, 2000; 186 words ...headless bodies have been found by soldiers near a former stronghold of Muslim rebels. On nearby Jolo island, other Abu Sayyaf rebels holding 21 hostages, including 10 foreign tourists, have also threatened to behead two captives if the military...
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Philippines President gives final warning to kidnappers HOSTAGE CRISIS EU sends emissary to Manila to express concern for hostages' safety while in Indonesia 3,000 Islamists pledge to start holy war The Independent (London, England); May 8, 2000; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words ...welfare. The group being held by Abu Sayyafguerrillas on the southern island...safety of the captives remain high. Abu Sayyaf rebels killed 13 soldiers yesterday...our country to be dismembered." Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two guerrilla organisations..
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Plight of hostages worsens as Philippines warns EU envoy The Independent (London, England); May 9, 2000; Kathy Marks; 679 words ...President, Joseph Estrada, offered an olive branch to the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas yesterday, saying his government would be...consider community development projects in the area."Abu Sayyaf, which seized the 21 people from the Malaysian resort..
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Envoys plead for release of sick hostage The Independent (London, England); May 11, 2000; Kathy Marks; 485 words ...returned empty- handed from their first meeting withAbu Sayyaf rebels on the southern island of Jolo yesterday. The...what they were, or whether they included a ransom. Abu Sayyaf is known to want the release from prison in the United.
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Smuggled diary reveals plight of tourist hostages The Independent (London, England); May 13, 2000; Kathy Marks; 700+ words ...done to us cannot be justified." Government negotiators again failed yesterday to make contact with the rebels fromAbu Sayyaf, one of two militias waging an armed struggle for an independent Islamic state. The delay led to the kidnappers postponing..
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Philippine kidnappers demand $2m The Independent (London, England); May 18, 2000; Kathy Marks; 411 words ...should know." The first full negotiations with the AbuSayyaf guerrillas, who kidnapped the 21 from a Malaysian island...two South Africans and a Lebanese, were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf as part of its campaign for an independent Islamic state.
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Philippines: Five die in guerrilla grenade attack on market The Independent (London, England); May 19, 2000; Kathy Marks; 474 words ...Police said they were almost certainly the work of theAbu Sayyaf separatist guerrilla group. Negotiators are trying to...is possible that this is a diversionary tactic of the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas," he said.
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Philippines: `War is part of our culture,' say Islamic fighters Bombers target civilians 20 miles from the camp where a motley band of armed teenage insurgents are still holding 21 hostages The Independent (London, England); May 19, 2000; Arnaud Dubus in Jolo, southern Philippines; 700+ words ...negotiators on its way to meet the Abu Sayyaf rebels on Jolo island in the southern...48 hours. When we finally met the Abu Sayyaf leaders, we were told by an imam...split into small groups, patrol the Abu Sayyaf camp which is located on Mount Daho.
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Hijacker jumps from jet after robbing passengers The Independent (London, England); May 26, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 643 words ...hostages are said to be sick and near-suicidal after 33 days in captivity. The guerrillas, a small extremist group named Abu Sayyaf, and other groups are demanding their own Islamic state on the large southern island of Mindanao. They have been blamed..
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Storm clouds gather over Asia's islands of hope The Independent (London, England); May 27, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...under control. The Islamic group AbuSayyaf -"Sword of God" - holed up with...People's Army, and the 200-strong Abu Sayyaf, which makes up in brutality for...it was a domestic problem. But Abu Sayyaf's boldness in striking at foreign..
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Malaysian cult surrenders after killing hostages The Independent (London, England); July 7, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 683 words ...called Malay emergency, in which British national servicemen fought. In April, however, Islamic militants from the Abu Sayyaf group snatched a group of tourists from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan and took them back to their base on the..
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First Western hostage freed by kidnappers in Philippines The Independent (London, England); July 18, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...The Jolo hostages were victims of AbuSayyaf, or "Sword of God", a militant...killings. The war with the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf hostage drama have presented President...has spoken of suicidal thoughts. Abu Sayyaf had demanded US$1m (pounds 670..
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Three killed by bomb in envoy's Jakarta garden The Independent (London, England); August 2, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry in Tokyo; 699 words ...terrorist attacks. There have been a series of bomb explosions in Philippine shopping centres. The small but violent Abu Sayyaf group continues to hold foreign tourists and local staff kidnapped in May from a diving resort on a Malaysian island..
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pounds 4m paid to free hostages The Independent (London, England); August 9, 2000; 176 words FOREIGN AGENCIES and governments are paying ransoms for release of their nationals held by fundamentalist Muslim rebels, a senior Philippine official admitted yesterday. The army says the AbuSayyaf factions have collected pounds 4m in ransoms
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Hostage is freed by rebels in Philippines The Independent (London, England); August 17, 2000; Pat Roque in Jolo, Philippines; 433 words ...Dablo, an employee at the Sipadan island diving resort, in Malaysia, was one of 21 mostly foreign hostages abducted by AbuSayyaf rebels on 23 April and taken to Jolo island in the southern Philippines. Philippine negotiators have focused on gaining...
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Gaddafi's hostage release deal collapses The Independent (London, England); August 20, 2000; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY and JOHN LICHFIELD IN PARIS; 700+ words ...the guerrillas of the Islamic group Abu Sayyaf had promised to release them from...captives and that it will go directly to Abu Sayyaf, enabling them to buy more guns...release failed to happen because of Abu Sayyaf's insistence on delivering their...
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How Mandela became the global peace-maker
The Independent (London, England); August 21, 2000; Alex Duval Smith in Johannesburg; 700+ words ...willingness to pay pounds 16.7m for the hostages - including two South Africans - who are held by the Libyan-trained Abu Sayyaf is just the latest stage in the rehabilitation of this long-standing supporter of the African National Congress. President..
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Philippines: Libyans threaten to abandon talks with kidnappers A dozen Western hostages still hope to be released by Islamic guerrillas as the South African president emerges in a key role The Independent (London, England); August 21, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...were released over the weekend by AbuSayyaf, an Islamic group which is fighting...Malaysians and a German woman. Publicly, Abu Sayyaf says it wants to string out the releases...to take custody of the hostages, AbuSayyaf said: "The [Philippine army...
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The double-edged sword of Gaddafi's links with the Philippines The Independent (London, England); August 22, 2000; Robert Fisk in Beirut; 700+ words ...Last night, the 24 remaining hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf group for four months were awaiting the outcome...Moro rejected the deal, they changed their name to AbuSayyaf: the same Abu Sayyaf which now holds the hostages. It was also this...
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Monitor: ALL THE NEWS OF THE WORLD The Independent (London, England); August 22, 2000; 700+ words ...the outrageous suggestion that the Abu Sayyaf bandit chief be allowed to escape...that "crime does not pay". If the Abu Sayyaf gutter-rats are successful in this...analysts, are of the belief that the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers will always hold an inventory..
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Libya bids $12m to free hostages in Philippines The Independent (London, England); August 23, 2000; Anne Penketh; 553 words ...yesterday that Libya would pay a total of $12m to theAbu Sayyaf rebels to free the foreign hostages. The money is to be...release of three Islamic militants held in US jails, the Abu Sayyef rebels sought a ransom payment. They initially.
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Philippine rebels free five captive Westerners from jungle The Independent (London, England); August 28, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...night, as the Islamic rebel group, AbuSayyaf, released five of its Western captives...in the southern Philippines where Abu Sayyaf is one of a number of groups fighting...people flock to claim a share in Abu Sayyaf's new- found wealth. The agreement..
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PHILIPPINES: Abu Sayyaf at heart of Islamic war after $17m hostage deal puts rebel centre stage moves from splinter group to centre stage Enriched by Libya's multi-million dollar pay-off, the world's most ruthless terrorists now pay $1,000 a head for new recruits The Independent (London, England); August 29, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...Islamic students and mujahedin known as Abu Sayyaf. Filipinos knew of them as a small...them in the mid-Nineties. But Abu Sayyaf was as remote from the concerns of...Philippines has changed all that.Abu Sayyaf may be steadily releasing its Western.
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Monitor: All The News Of The World - International press reaction to the release of hostages held by Muslim insurgents on Jolo, one of the Philippine Islands The Independent (London, England); August 30, 2000; 700+ words ...and vague political ambitions. The Abu Sayyafkidnappers are clearly most interested...crisis may be massacred not by the Abu Sayyaf bandits but by lightning if they...Jolo and Zamboanga. Not while the AbuSayyaf is on a buying spree of high-powered.
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Islamic rebels seize American in Philippines The Independent (London, England); August 30, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...American man had been abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Islamic guerrilla group. A spokesman...relations between our two countries." AbuSayyaf is believed to have been paid millions...Schilling. Far from a ransom placating Abu Sayyaf, the world now faces a well-funded..
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Hopes rise for hostage release The Independent (London, England); September 7, 2000; 167 words THE RELEASE of six Europeans and a Filipino held hostage for months in the southern Philippines by Muslim rebels from the separatist Abu Sayyaf group is expected tomorrow, negotiators said
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Filipino rebels free hostages
The Independent (London, England); September 10, 2000; RUBEN ALABASTRO IN JOLO, PHILIPPINES; 586 words ...earth of Finland when I get back," he said. "This has been a nightmare for all of us." The four were kidnapped by AbuSayyaf rebels on Easter Sunday, 23 April, while on holiday on the Sipadan island resort, in Malaysia. Sixteen others abducted..
The Independent (London, England); September 10, 2000; RUBEN ALABASTRO IN JOLO, PHILIPPINES; 586 words ...earth of Finland when I get back," he said. "This has been a nightmare for all of us." The four were kidnapped by AbuSayyaf rebels on Easter Sunday, 23 April, while on holiday on the Sipadan island resort, in Malaysia. Sixteen others abducted..
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Philippine rebels `raped women hostages' The Independent (London, England); September 12, 2000; Sarah El Deeb; 461 words ...Philippines yesterday after being held for months by the Abu Sayyef, the rebel group fighting for an independent Muslim...released, three Malaysian men were abducted near where Abu Sayyaf rebels kidnapped 21 people, including the four Europeans..
43
Filipino forces attack hostage rebels The Independent (London, England); September 17, 2000; ALEXANDER YOUNG IN JOLO, PHILIPPINES; 684 words ...killed or wounded in the blitz on Abu Sayyafrebel bases on the southern island...problem are being scoffed at by the Abu Sayyaf group." The Defence Secretary...they feared revenge attacks by the Abu Sayyafbut all was quiet before the 9pm..
44
France condemns Philippine assault on rebels The Independent (London, England); September 18, 2000; Lloyd Rundle; 453 words ...exhaust all means to save and rescue the victims from the Abu Sayyaf captors," he said. "We should destroy the AbuSayyaf so that they can longer engage in kidnap for ransom activities..
45
German agents `in Philippine hostage bungle' The Independent (London, England); September 20, 2000; Imre Karacs in Berlin; 556 words ...hampered by its own spies getting in each other's way. The Libyans, who eventually paid the ransom demanded by the Abu Sayyaf group, were approached by two different outfits claiming to represent the German intelligence service BND. The confusion..
46
Monitor: All The News Of The World - Comment in the Philippine press on the military offensive launched against the Abu Sayyaf separatist militia The Independent (London, England); September 20, 2000; 700+ words ...country more thoroughly than the Abu Sayyaf - indeed that has held up the country more than theAbu Sayyaf. It is a war that requires more...of force than the war against the Abu Sayyaf. It is the war against cronyism..
47
Hostages escape as Filipinos attack rebel camp The Independent (London, England); September 21, 2000; John Lichfield in Paris; 700+ words ...Roland Madura - members of a France 2 television crew, taken captive 10 weeks ago - slipped unseen from a column of Abu Sayyafrebels who were fleeing government troops in the middle of the night. The two men hid behind a building and then ran.
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36,000 flee assault on rebels holding hostages The Independent (London, England); September 26, 2000; Jim Gomez in Jolo, Philippines; 453 words ...Secretary, Orlando Mercado, said two Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed in a clash yesterday...been unconfirmed reports that some AbuSayyaf were able to escape to nearby Basilan...process or fair trial, the other Abu Sayyaf leaders will follow," Oliver Lozano.
49
Evangelists freed by Filipinos The Independent (London, England); October 3, 2000; 191 words ...to visit a Muslim rebel camp to pray for other hostages. The recovery yesterday of the Filipino Christians, held by Abu Sayyafrebels for three months, left five hostages still in guerrilla hands
The Independent (London, England); October 7, 2000; 180 words MEMBERS OF a Muslim rebel group, Abu Sayyaf, holding five hostages, including three Malaysians and an American, are trying to surrender after dodging 5,000 troops hunting them in the jungle on southern Jolo island for three weeks, Philippine officers said yesterday.
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The Independent (London, England); October 12, 2000; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 699 words ...hostages freed and none known to have been killed. The Manila government reported yesterday that many of the members of the Abu Sayyaf group, which is fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines, are hungry, exhausted and on the verge...
51
100,000 flee Philippines' forgotten war The Independent (London, England); December 17, 2000; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY IN JOLO, THE PHILIPPINES; 700+ words ...allegedly by Filipino soldiers pursuing Abu Sayyaf, a group of Muslim extremists who...fruitless attempts to wipe out the Abu Sayyafand rescue their two remaining hostages...former guerrilla army which opposes Abu Sayyaf and has officially made its peace.
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14 killed in Manila bomb blasts The Independent (London, England); December 31, 2000; RAYMOND WHITAKER; 544 words ...hotels exploded and killed two police bomb disposal officers as they tried to defuse it. Suspicion immediately fell on Abu Sayyaf, the smaller and more militant of the two groups fighting for autonomy in the Muslim areas of the southern Philippines..
[1-35]
1
They asked for water, then money. Then they took Eiman away, into the jungle ABDUCTION IN THE PHILIPPINES In the lawless southern islands, kidnappings are on the rise as Muslim rebels discover a new source of funding The Independent (London, England); January 12, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry; 700+ words ...to Basilan by a rebel group called Abu Sayyaf. Yesterday, within hours of young Eiman's disappearance, Abu Sayyafwas being blamed. If that is true...independent Muslim state in Mindanao, Abu Sayyaf are the newest, the most politically..
2
Girl's kidnappers may be killers of Chinese hostage The Independent (London, England); January 13, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Zamboanga; 700+ words ...Basilan frequently co- operates with Abu Sayyaf, a smaller and more extreme group...they'll pass the hostages onto Abu Sayyaffor a while until the pressure eases...situation so difficult for us."Abu Sayyaf released all but two of its foreign.
3
`I did not help to kidnap my daughter' The Independent (London, England); January 14, 2001; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY ON BASINAL ISLAND; 700+ words ...Commander Usman is said to have strong connections with AbuSayyaf, the terrorist gang who gained millions of pounds in...group. Six Christian coconut planters were grabbed by Abu Sayyaf last November, but locals told the military and the..
4
Stepfather offers to swap himself for seized girl The Independent (London, England); January 15, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Zamboanga, Philippines; 700+ words ...and foreign tourists held by the AbuSayyaf terrorist group after they were kidnapped...of holding his step-daughter. Abu Sayyaf, the group that kidnapped the foreign...in August voluntarily visited an Abu Sayyafcommander on Jolo. As he was preparing..
5
Girl, 6, rescued from Philippine kidnap ordeal The Independent (London, England); February 4, 2001; RICHARD LLOYD PARRY; 685 words ...is Douglas Grant, a caterer from Inverness. It was speculated at the time that the little girl had been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf, an radical Islamic group which raised millions of pounds in ransoms last year, after kidnapping foreign tourists in.
6
TREASURE ISLAND Few had heard of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group until Easter Sunday last year, when gunmen in the Philippines seized a group of foreign tourists, earning themselves global headlines - and a staggering $25m in ransom money. But what can a group of bush rebels do with that amount of money? Richard Lloyd Parry went there to find out The Independent (London, England); March 4, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry; 700+ words ...mysterious terrorist group called Abu Sayyaf[ASG]. No one can agree on how...American hostage. Last winter,Abu Sayyaf were a small and obscure group of...army. How did this happen? Who are Abu Sayyaf and where did they come from? And.
7
Philippines forces rescue American hostage in raid on rebel hide- out The Independent (London, England); April 13, 2001; Paul Alexander in Manila; 556 words ...a 10-day series of assaults on AbuSayyaf rebels on the southern island of...of the rebels, was not held. TheAbu Sayyaf, the smallest of the three rebel...million-dollar ransoms. TheAbu Sayyaf claims it is fighting for a separate.
8
Gunmen take tourists hostage in Philippines The Independent (London, England); May 28, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Miri, Malaysia; 700+ words ...speedboat, are apparently members of Abu Sayyaf, the extremist Muslim group which...west of the Philippines, where the AbuSayyaf Group (ASG) is based. The 20 captives...the apparent involvement of the Abu Sayyaf Group and the capture of American.
9
Philippines President vows to `wipe out' Islamic rebels holding 20 tourists The Independent (London, England); May 29, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry in Miri, Malaysian Borneo; 700+ words ABU SAYYAF, the notorious Islamic rebel group, yesterday...Macapagal Arroyo, vowed to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, saying she would not let up until "you...have been divided between two groups ofAbu Sayyaf guerrillas on the neighbouring jungle islands..
10
Rebels threaten to kill hostages The Independent (London, England); May 30, 2001; 197 words ...on military operations. The military, under orders from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to use force against the Abu Sayyaf rebels behind Sunday's abductions, said they had not yet pinpointed their location
11
Filipino rebels say hostages killed The Independent (London, England); June 1, 2001; 183 words THE MUSLIM rebel group in the Philippines said two of the hostages they held were killed early today in a clash with troops. The Abu Sayyafguerrillas kidnapped 17 Filipinos and three Americans on Sunday from a luxury resort and claimed today that they had abducted 10 more people.
12
Filipino hostages caught in gun battle The Independent (London, England); June 3, 2001; 420 words ...rebels, who call themselves theAbu Sayyaf, entered the town early Saturday...and some hostages on Friday. The Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for an independent...are with the suicide squad of the Abu Sayyaf. There are many innocent lives who..
13
Soldiers find mutilated bodies of Filipino hostages The Independent (London, England); June 4, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 663 words ...yesterday, soldiers in the southern Philippines discovered the mutilated bodies of two hostages murdered by the Islamic Abu SayyafGroup (ASG). The two Filipino men were identified as Sonny Dacquero and Armando Bayona, employees at the luxury beach..
14
Rebel threat to behead hostages The Independent (London, England); June 8, 2001; 182 wordsABU SAYYAF guerrillas holding US and Filipino hostages threatened to behead three American captives "within 72 hours" yesterday if the Philippines government rejected their demand for a Malaysian negotiator to end the crisis. The government reiterated its threat of military action.
15
Kidnapped Americans get last-ditch reprieve The Independent (London, England); June 12, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 324 words ...made its first compromise with the Abu Sayyaf guerrilla group yesterday in a last...of a Malaysian mediator whom the Abu Sayyaf had demanded to meet. "We want...group of Westerners last year. The AbuSayyaf commander, Abu Sabaya, responded..
16
Muslim Filipino guerrillas claim to have beheaded a US hostage The Independent (London, England); June 13, 2001; Kathy Marks; 648 words ABU SAYYAFguerrillas claimed on radio yesterday to have beheaded an American hostage...Americans and 17 Filipinos abducted by the guerrillas. A leader of the group, Abu Sabaya, told a local radio station yesterday Mr Sobero had been beheaded...
17
American may have been beheaded The Independent (London, England); June 14, 2001; 180 words Children watching soldiers patrol in Lantawan in the southern Philippines province of Basilan, as the search continues for an American hostage that Muslim rebels claim to have beheaded. Three bodies have been found on Abu Sayyaf guerrilla territory Aaron Favila/ AP
18
Malaysia helpless to fight off pirate raids The Independent (London, England); June 28, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...region, piracy has a political dimension, particularly in the southern Philippines, where the Muslim guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf has made millions of pounds from ransoming kidnapped tourists. Attacks typically take place at night and are launched.
19
Malaysia fails to wipe out the pirate paradise The Independent (London, England); June 28, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...region, piracy has a political dimension, particularly in the southern Philippines, where the Muslim guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf has made millions of pounds from ransoming kidnapped tourists. Attacks typically take place at night and are launched..
20
Filipino hostage group leader captured in raid The Independent (London, England); July 10, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 700+ words ...seized one of the senior commanders ofAbu Sayyaf, the Islamic guerrilla group that...officers said he was responsible for the Abu Sayyaf raid five weeks ago on a luxury island...is a great setback for the ASG [AbuSayyaf Group]. I think with this capture.
21
Extremists behead four in Philippines The Independent (London, England); August 4, 2001; Dirk Beveridge in Manila; 399 words ...in May. Military leaders said the AbuSayyaf militants struck a village outside...militants yesterday afternoon. The Abu Sayyaf militants, thought to number 1...Macapagal Arroyo has vowed to crush AbuSayyaf and the latest attack came after.
22
Hostages freed after gun fight The Independent (London, England); August 6, 2001; 180 words PHILLIPINE TROOPS rescued 13 Filipino hostages, mostly children, during a gun battle with Muslim guerillas yesterday on the southern island of Basilan. The fighting erupted after fundamentalist AbuSayyaf rebels beheaded 10 other Filipinos they had abducted on Thursday.
23
Philippines army `took terror bribe' The Independent (London, England); August 25, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Correspondent; 472 words ...that soldiers allowed members of the Abu Sayyaf group to escape from an apparently...government, Father Nacorda described how Abu Sayyafleaders and army officers negotiated...Three months have passed since the Abu Sayyafsnatched 20 tourists, including..
24
FBI to question Muslim guerrillas The Independent (London, England); September 24, 2001; 174 words THE FBI wants to interrogate two captured members of the Muslim group Abu Sayyaf, which has held two US missionaries hostage on Basilan island in the Phillipines for four months. The captured guerrillas may face charges in the US
25
War on Terrorism: Assets of groups linked to terrorism are frozen Financial Defences The Independent (London, England); September 25, 2001; Andrew Buncombe in Washington; 700+ words ...The group's leader had links to AbuHamza al-Masri, the one-eyed cleric...ida/Islamic Army Osama bin Laden Abu Sayyaf group Armed Islamic group (GIA) Harakat...Army of Aden Muhammad Atif (aka Subhi AbuSitta, Abu Hafs Al Masri) Sayf al..
26
Kidnap killings raise alarm in Philippines The Independent (London, England); October 5, 2001; Oliver Teves in Manila; 480 words ...which 202 people have been abducted, including three Americans and 17 Filipinos seized by the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf from a tourist resort in May. More than half of the abductions occurred in Manila, and the victims were mostly wealthy.
27
Headless skeleton may be that of US hostage The Independent (London, England); October 6, 2001; Kathy Marks; 570 words ...taken hostage by the separatist group Abu Sayyaf from a resort off Palawan in late...whereabouts were pinpointed by an Abu Sayyaf member recently captured by the military...identity. The United States has named AbuSayyaf as one of the groups that support.
28
AIR STRIKES ON AFGHANISTAN: World Reaction: Islamic militants threaten to hunt down foreigners The Independent (London, England); October 9, 2001; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words ...embassy. The Philippines government expressed support for the strikes, but placed its troops on alert for reprisals by Abu Sayyafrebels, which is said to be linked to Osama bin Laden. Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, which is.
29
AIR STRIKES ON AFGHANISTAN: abu sayyaf - History weighs heavily against foreign intervention The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Richard Lloyd Parry; 700+ words ...the islands in his sights in his attempts to wipe out Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic bandit group which bases its kidnapping...and the outlying islands of Jolo and Basilan where the AbuSayyaf Group has its bases. The ASG, as it is known, was..
30
AIR STRIKES ON AFGHANISTAN: Strategy - US general will go to Philippines as Bush fulfils his pledge for a war without limits The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Rupert Cornwell and Kim Sengupta; 700+ words ...troops fighting the insurgency of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic movement. Currently hundreds ofAbu Sayyaf guerrillas are fighting the Philippine...traces of a relationship" between Abu Sayyaf and the group which planned the 11..
31
US discloses plans to open new fronts in war on terror US to open new fronts in war on terror The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Donald Macintyre in Muscat and Rupert Cornwell in; 700+ words ...financial and other links. A small team of US advisers will go to the Philippines this month to help the battle against the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas operating in the southern part of the country. The British Government took the remarkable step yesterday..
32
Air strikes on Afghanistan: Stratergy - US troops sent into Philippines as Bush fulfils his pledge for a war without limits Strategy The Independent (London, England); October 11, 2001; Rupert Cornwell and Kim Sengupta; 700+ words ...troops fighting the insurgency of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic movement. Currently hundreds ofAbu Sayyaf guerrillas are fighting the Philippine...traces of a relationship" between Abu Sayyaf and the group which planned the 11..
33
Hostage flees Abu Sayyaf rebels The Independent (London, England); October 12, 2001; 182 words A FILIPINO farmer held hostage for months by the AbuSayyaf Muslim rebels escaped this week, the army said yesterday. Jesus Faisal Benasing, a Muslim from Basilan island in the south of the country, where the Islamist separatists are fighting the military, fled during a battle.
34
Philippines peace deal shattered as 55 die in Muslim uprising The Independent (London, England); November 20, 2001; James Palmer; 589 words ...soldiers were killed. Meanwhile, government forces have launched a concerted offensive against the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group, which is now holding an American couple and a Filipino nurse in the jungle of Basilan island, north of Jolo.
35
US missionary couple tells of hostage ordeal The Independent (London, England); November 27, 2001; Jim Gomez in Manila; 361 words ...illness, gunfire and the constant spectre of death. The brief footage, showing Gracia and Martin Burnham surrounded by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas with heavy weaponry, was the first video shown of the Wichita, Kansas, couple since they were abducted...
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CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERRORISM: Somalia and Yemen, not Iraq, likely to be targets of American military action The Independent (London, England); January 9, 2002; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 700+ words ...special forces seeking to end the insurrection by the Abu Sayyafmilitant group in the country. "If they could clear Abu Sayyaf out of Basilan island, that would be a small blow against..
The Independent (London, England); February 1, 2002; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 659 words ...Filipino soldiers. Their target is theAbu Sayyaf guerrilla group whose stronghold...hone their skills to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf scourge". But not all Filipinos...take part in the fighting. As the Abu Sayyaf operation began, news came of the..
Preview: Television - Friday Choice
The Independent (London, England); February 3, 2002; Stuart Price; 330 words ...independent state for 30 years. He visits the territory of the Abu Sayyaf gang (above), which al-Qa'ida funded until Osama...Christian country $100m and 650 troops to close down AbuSayyaf. But the move has only convinced local Muslims that.
The Independent (London, England); February 10, 2002; GARY LEMKE; 700+ words ...which has been saddled with a bad reputation over law and order problems, including kidnappings by the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group in the south. "We would like to focus on the other side of the Philippines," Gordon said. "It would also.
The Independent (London, England); February 17, 2002; DAVID USBORNE in New York; 700+ words ...extremist Muslim rebels. The rebel movement, called the Abu Sayyaf, has been linked by Washington to the al-Qa'ida...injured more than 40 others. An army commander blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the blasts, saying it was retaliation for army assaults..
The Independent (London, England); March 12, 2002; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 700+ words ...resources and assistance to train local troops as it has done in the Philippines to aid Manila's efforts to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf radical Islamic separatists. Much the same goes for Georgia, where Washington will send up to 150 military trainers.
The Independent (London, England); March 18, 2002; Andrew Buncombe in Washington; 460 words ...forces are assisting local troops in operations against the AbuSayyaf guerrilla group, which has been linked to al-Qa'ida...terrorists has been captured in Sudan. The report said that Abu Anas Al-Liby - who at one time in lived in Manchester.
The Independent (London, England); April 11, 2002; Jim Gomez in Manila; 360 words ...arrests and killings by soldiers during a campaign against Abu Sayyaf rebels and supporters on the island of Basilan last year...he was deformed, almost unrecognisable." Victims ofAbu Sayyaf attended the hearing. Erlinda Tarroza, whose brother.
The Independent (London, England); April 22, 2002; Paul Alexander in Manila; 306 words ...least 14 people and injuring 45. An hour earlier a radio station caller, claiming to be from the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, had warned of the blasts. One bomb exploded outside a busy department store in the city of General Santos, killing.
The Independent (London, England); April 23, 2002; 231 words ...radio station, who had warned of the bombings an hour before the first blast, claimed responsibility in the name of Abu Sayyaf, a group of Islamic extremists linked to al- Qa'ida.
The Independent (London, England); May 24, 2002; Jim Gomez in Zamboanga; 468 words ...heads a special operations unit of AbuSayyaf, an extremist group that has been...and Basilan, the island base of Abu Sayyaf. Supt Bartolome said: "This guy...behalf of Al Harakatul Islamiya, Abu Sayyaf's formal name. Two suspects arrested..
The Independent (London, England); June 12, 2002; 224 words ...for rescuing a US missionary and she mourned the death of a Filipino hostage at the hands of Muslim extremist rebels, Abu Sayyaf. Her trip to Basilan Island came four days after troops freed US hostage Gracia Burnham, who had been held for a year..
The Independent (London, England); June 22, 2002; Andrew Buncombe in Washington; 700+ words ...the southern island of Mindanao. Abu Sabaya, the most visible of the commanders of the AbuSayyaf group, was shot during a firefight...saw his body sink. "The captured Abu Sayyaf members confirmed that one of those...
The Independent (London, England); June 29, 2002; Oliver Teves in Manila; 417 words ...BATTLE was raging between soldiers and Abu Sayyaf rebels in the southern Philippines...had already overrun four camps of AbuSayyaf, which has been linked to al- Qa...Sulu, right in the camp where theAbu Sayyaf was born," she said. A military..
The Independent (London, England); August 22, 2002; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 346 words ...island of Jolo, a stronghold of the AbuSayyaf guerrillas, have become the rebels...the group were still being held. Abu Sayyaf, a separatist Muslim organisation...purpose of the kidnap was not clear. Abu Sayyafoften demands ransoms, but has also.
The Independent (London, England); August 23, 2002; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 676 words ...crippled the Muslim extremist groupAbu Sayyaf, the Filipino rebels left a grisly...declaring that the crackdown had left Abu Sayyaf "in disarray and on the run...army shelled suspected hideouts of Abu Sayyaf, which has committed mass kidnappings.
The Independent (London, England); August 25, 2002; Raymond Whitaker; 700+ words ...between al-Qa'ida and the murderous AbuSayyaf group, led by Khadafi Janjalani...be awaiting a suitable candidate. Abu Nidal: world's most notorious...Khadafi Janjalani: leader of murderous Abu Sayyaf group, fighting for separate Muslim.
The Independent (London, England); October 3, 2002; Rupert Cornwell; 638 words ...operations this year against the local AbuSayyaf terrorist group, which is linked...made, heightening concerns that the Abu Sayyaf presence in the southern Philippines...that the group and its allies in Abu Sayyaf were planning attacks on unspecified.
The Independent (London, England); October 21, 2002; Kathy Marks and Elizabeth Nash in Madrid; 666 words ...investigate Parlin's whereabouts. Abu Dahdah, a Syrian with Spanish nationality...mosque. Spanish police had been tapping Abu Dahdah's phone since 1995. In the...days and the second in Zamboanga. AbuSayyaf, a group linked to al-Qa'ida..
The Independent (London, England); October 24, 2002; Kathy Marks in Jakarta; 700+ words ...Police in the Philippines paraded five men before the press yesterday, saying they were members of the Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf, suspected of involvement in at least three bombings in the southern city of Zamboanga.
The Independent (London, England); November 15, 2002; 189 words The top bomber from the Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel group has been arrested and a plot to attack the US embassy, shopping malls and the Manila stock exchange foiled, President..
REVIEW OF THE YEAR: Paradise was blown to hell when the fanatics burning with hatred struck again BALI
The Independent (London, England); December 28, 2002; KATHY MARKS; 700+ words ...al-Qa'ida network. The US sent troops to the Philippines to help in a crackdown against the Muslim guerrillas of Abu Sayyaf. But it was Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, that was the weakest link in the war against terrorism...
The Independent (London, England); December 28, 2002; KATHY MARKS; 700+ words ...al-Qa'ida network. The US sent troops to the Philippines to help in a crackdown against the Muslim guerrillas of Abu Sayyaf. But it was Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, that was the weakest link in the war against terrorism...
THREAT OF WAR: DIPLOMACY - Resolution is timed with questions over weapons
The Independent (London, England); February 22, 2003; Rupert Cornwell in Washington; 698 words ...terrorism, the Pentagon is sending 3,000 troops to the southern Philippines to try to stamp out the radical Islamic group Abu Sayyaf, which has kidnapped Westerners and may have links with al-Qa'ida.
The Independent (London, England); March 5, 2003; Kathy Marks in Sydney; 700+ words ...Yesterday's attack followed an agreement by the Manila government for American troops to join Philippine units fightingAbu Sayyaf, a Muslim separatist guerrilla force linked with the al-Qa'ida terrorist network. The blast demolished the shelter...
The Independent (London, England); March 6, 2003; John O'Callaghan in Manila; 501 words ...television network as a leader ofAbu Sayyaf. But military officials in the Philippines were sceptical. They said that Abu Sayyaf - blacklisted by Washington as a...Sulu islands, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group. The Philippine constitution..
Philippines rebel chief shot dead ; World News IN BRIEF
The Independent (London, England); January 18, 2007; 208 words ...troops have scored a major victory in the US- backed campaign to rout the militant Islamic Abu Sayyafgroup, killing one of its most senior leaders. Abu Sulaiman, 41, also known as Jainal Antel Sali, had a $5m ([pound]2.5m) bounty placed...
The Independent (London, England); December 12, 2011; 569 words ...southern Philippine jungle by the feared Abu Sayyaf rebel group has made an audacious...volatile south is blamed mainly on AbuSayyaf, a militant Islamic separatist group...and equipping local forces to fight Abu Sayyaf. He was then flown to the capital...
The Independent (London, England); February 14, 2012; 552 words ...Indonesia, he travelled to the southern Philippines, where he allegedly joined forces with the Islamic extremist group Abu Sayyaf, training militants and plotting attacks. He then moved to Pakistan, and was planning to continue on to Afghanistan...
April 25, 2000, The Independent (London), Armed bandits seize tourists on tropical isle, by Kathy Marks;
MALAYSIA AND the Philippines were co-operating last night to secure the release of about 20 people, half of them foreign tourists, kidnapped by a heavily armed gang from a tropical resort island off Borneo, in eastern Malaysia.
Malaysian officials said they had located the whereabouts of the group, who were taken captive late on Sunday on the scenic island of Sipadan, an internationally renowned diving centre. They said they believed them all to be safe and alive, but gave no further details.
The Philippines Defence Secretary, Orlando Mercado, said the navy had been ordered to intercept the gunmen who were believed to be heading for the Philippines in two fishing boats. The hostages were thought to include nine Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two Finns, one Lebanese, two South Africans and one Filipino.
What was unclear was whether the gunmen, who were armed with rocket launchers and automatic weapons, were Filipino Muslim rebels fighting for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines or some of the pirates active in the waters between eastern Malaysia and the southern Philippines.
Two American tourists, both aged 51, managed to escape when the six masked gunmen took the group hostage at their resort after storming the police station and the wildlife and forestry centre on Sibadan, which is about 20 miles off Sabah, the Malaysian side of Borneo island. The two men ran off into woods and then raised the alarm.
There was mounting speculation last night that the gunmen might be Philippines Muslim extremists who have recently extended their campaign for a separate Islamic state. Mr Mercado, said the attackers spoke Tausug, a dialect used in the Mindanao region of the southern Philippines. They also appeared to be fluent in English.
The Philippine authorities, who were pounding the southern rebel stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group yesterday to try to free dozens of hostages held by the militia, put the air force and navy on alert last night. The separatist rebel group has been holding 27 people hostage, many of them children, for the past five weeks.
Mr Mercado said that if the gunmen who seized the foreign tourists in Sipadan were from Abu Sayyaf, it could be a "diversionary tactic" aimed at the armed forces and police in the southern Philippines.
A photographer who was at the Sipadan resort when the gunmen stormed it said they took his wallet, watch and mobile telephone before ordering the group of holidaymakers to swim out to the two boats.
The resort, which is surrounded by white sand beaches and the clear waters of the Sulawesi Sea, is a famed diving area about 45 minutes by boat from the Philippines.
May 18, 2000, The Independent (London), Philippine kidnappers demand $2m, by Kathy Marks, 411 words,
THE FATE of 21 people abducted by Filipino Muslim rebels hung in the balance yesterday, with the hostages, who include 10 foreign tourists, traced to a remote island in the southern Philippines and their kidnappers reported to be demanding a ransom of 100 million pesos (pounds 1.5m).
In a day of fast-moving developments, the group of captives - taken from a Malaysian resort island on Sunday - was sighted on Jolo island, in Sulu province, a lawless region notorious for pirates, bandits and religious insurgents.
Philippine naval, air force and army units were deployed in preparation for a rescue attempt, but the authorities in Manila were still hoping to secure the release of the hostages through negotiation.
There is little doubt that the hostages are being held by rebels connected to Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two guerrilla organisations fighting for an independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines. Two of them, who are Malaysians, are expected to be freed shortly because they are Muslims.
The Philippine Defence Minister, Orlando Mercado, said yesterday that the group had been located near the town of Talipao, 600 miles south of Manila, in the Sulu Sea. Local officials had "indicated to us that they are alive", he said, adding: "They are well. They don't look any worse than when they were taken."
Mr Mercado, who yesterday visited Jolo, a mountainous island which is one of the largest in the Sulu group, said of the captors: "We don't know for sure, but these personalities are a mixture of Abu Sayyaf and former [rebels] and are known for kidnap for ransom."
Military forces have been sent to secure the area around Talipao, on Jolo, part of an impoverished group of islands.
The hostages - three Germans, two South Africans, two Finns, two French tourists and one Lebanese woman, plus one Filipino and 10 Malaysians - are believed to have been taken to Jolo shortly after being seized from a resort on Sipadan Island, in Malaysia's Sabah state, off the coast of Borneo island. On Jolo, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, the hostages were split into two groups and moved from one hideout to another to avoid detection, Mr Mercado said. They are reportedly being held under the command of a guerrilla leader known as Commander Robot, who police say is notorious locally.
A military report said there were 15 kidnappers, not six, as reported earlier by Malaysian and Philippine officials. They are said to comprise 12 Malay-speaking people, two speakers of Tausug, a southern Philippine language, and one person of Caucasian appearance.
Abu Sayyaf rebels are currently under attack in their stronghold on nearby Basilan island by government troops who are trying to rescue 27 Filipinos, mainly schoolchildren, who have been held hostage for more than five weeks.
Joseph Estrada, the President of the Philippines, yesterday appointed Nur Misuari, head of the Moro National Liberation Front, to be the government's negotiator with the kidnappers. The MNLF, once the country's largest Muslim rebel group, signed a treaty with the government in 1996.
Five more people were arrested in Sabah by Malaysian police, in addition to five detained on Tuesday on suspicion of abetting the abductions. According to military officers, kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative sideline in recent years for separatist rebels. "One day they are Abu Sayyaf, the next morning they are bandits, the next they are pirates," one officer said.
Although the Philippine head of military intelligence, Major General Jose Calimlim, confirmed that the hostages had not been harmed, there were fears for their safety. Abu Sayyaf rebels have not shied away from violence in the past. Last week they claimed to have beheaded two of their captives on Basilan because the government had failed to meet their demands: the release of two Islamic extremists in jail in the United States, including the mastermind of the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York in 1993.
Mr Mercado said he did not know whether the abductions from Sipadan were related to the military assault on the Abu Sayyaf base on Basilan. Asked how quickly the situation with the Malaysian group could be resolved, he replied: "Only God can determine how soon it will be over. Our basic consideration is the safety of the hostages. At the same time, we hope we will bring an end to this kidnap for ransom gang. They have obviously extended their evil intent into neighbouring countries."
September 28, 2011, Press Gazette, Adam Leigh steps down as Independent deputy editor, by Andrew Pugh,
Adam Leigh is stepping down as joint deputy editor of The Independent.
The Independent said Leigh was leaving after 16 years with the broadsheet to pursue "new opportunities outside the paper".
Leigh joined the title in 1995 from the Birmingham Post, where he was news editor, and has since held several senior roles at The Independent and the Independent on Sunday.
In 2003 he moved from news editor to executive editor, features, where he took charge of the Review section, and last year was appointed one of two deputy editors alongside Dan Gledhill.
In a statement the paper said that Leigh had played a "key role" in the Independent's creative development, including the 2003 launch of the compact format of the paper, and the development of The Independent's cut-price stablemate i.
"It has been a privilege to work for such a great newspaper and with such talented, creative and dedicated colleagues for the past 16 years," said Leigh.
"I want to thank everybody for their friendship, support and generosity – and to wish them the very best of everything."
Chris Blackhurst, who replaced Simon Kelner as editor of The Independent in July, said: "Adam has played a distinguished part in the story of The Independent. He departs with our very best wishes and deep gratitude".
Andrew Mullins, the managing director of The Independent and Independent on Sunday, added: "We are grateful to Adam for a magnificent contribution to the papers and hope he will enjoy great success in his future career."
Gledhill remains as deputy editor.
May 9, 2000; International Herald Tribune Manila and Muslim Insurgents Have a Lot of Talking to Do, Konrad Muller;
As the world now knows, the Abu Sayyaf is an Islamic extremist group, a loose criminal syndicate, with an often brutal history of hostage-taking. Just over two weeks ago, armed gunmen linked to the group raided a Malaysian diving resort and kidnapped 21 hostages, including 10 tourists. Taking the captives by speedboat back to the southern Philippines and threatening to kill them if its demands were not met, the Abu Sayyaf propelled itself and the remote islands of Jolo and Basilan, where it operates, into global prime time.
Meanwhile, the country's leading Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, unleashed a campaign of violence and sabotage on the main southern island of Mindanao last week. In the Philippine south, conflict has burned and then simmered for 30 years. At its peak in the 1970s, more than 100,000 people were reported killed in fighting between government forces and Muslim secessionists. The latter resented their incorporation into the largely Christian Philippines as an act of colonial duplicity between Spain and the United States. Immigration from the north of the country left them a minority in Mindanao. The dismal results of this dispossession and alienation are all too apparent today.
Of the Philippines' 77 provinces, the five with a Muslim majority were ranked lowest in a United Nations human development index released this year. Per capita income, life expectancy and functional literacy were generally the lowest in the country. As with poverty, so with lawlessness. Police statistics show that the Muslim-majority provinces have the most guns per head in the Philippines. In the jungles and mountains of central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, including Basilan and Jolo, authority fades in a blur of bandits, rebels and military outlaw groups bequeathed by multiple insurgencies over many years. Kidnapping has become a cottage industry.
The one sane solution, an autonomy deal recognizing the ancestral claims of the Muslims in the south, is being discredited. Under a 1996 agreement signed with Manila, the Moro National Liberation Front headed by Nur Misuari was given an autonomous region of four provinces in exchange for peace. Now it is being discredited by lack of resources and its performance in running the autonomous government. Corruption, poor accountability for public funds, lack of transparency, a bloated bureaucracy, simple incompetence the alleged ills make a dreary list. When a vote is held next year on expanding the autonomous region, just one more province is likely to join; a far larger domain was once expected.
Front officials accuse Manila of bad faith. Meanwhile, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front preserves the dream of secession in the Philippine south. It has 15,000 regulars, including 600 graduates from the Afghan war, and is now at the center of spiraling hostilities. Its chairman, Salimat Hashim, sees East Timor's break from Indonesia as an important precedent and routinely calls for a United Nations-administered plebiscite on Mindanao. But it is hard to see Manila relinquishing any part of the south. Nor is there international enthusiasm. Many believe that, like the larger MNLF before it, the MILF will accept less than independence, if tortuous peace talks can be kept on track. The MILF are no innocents. However, questions arise as to whether the government of President Joseph Estrada has the patience to salvage a peace process close to collapse. There is doubt that he appreciates the complexities of the south. Mr. Estrada has shown a penchant for ultimatums and deadlines. Earlier this year he said a peace deal must be concluded by June 30.
Serious questions have also surfaced over the events that led the MILF to suspend peace talks indefinitely on April 30. Strangely, the army allegedly mounted an attack on a disputed strip of road close to MILF headquarters, after a solution had been brokered by negotiators. This triggered last week's spate of reprisal attacks by the MILF. Now Manila is reportedly saying it will accept a cease-fire if the rebels lay down their arms. Predictably, the MILF has called such terms next to impossible.
One former Mindanao congressman has suggested that Mr. Estrada, a weak president harassed by domestic critics, is seeking a diversion. Maybe this is unfair. Sober heads know that neither the Philippine south nor the nation can stand a return to general war. The military would smash the MILF's bases. A nasty guerrilla conflict would follow. The fighting would split the moderate MNLF, leading to more poverty and lawlessness. This is why respected public figures in the Philippines, such as former President Corazon Aquino and Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin, are saying: Still the guns, come back to the negotiating table.
-- The writer, a former Australian diplomat, is now a free-lance journalist based in Manila. He contributed this comment to the International Herald Tribune.
