Live News - A Survival Guide - International Federation of Journalists

Live News — A Survival Guide for Journaliststactic of abducting and holding tourists for long periods of time,demanding huge ransoms for their release. The targeting of journalistsbegan in May 2000 when eight French and one Norwegianwere held hostage for over 24 hours by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas on theIsland of Jolo. They were robbed and forced to pay a ransom. Laterthat month, ten journalists — German, French, Australian andDanish — were taken hostage while they were following aGovernment medical convoy to a camp where the Western touristswere being held. Four journalists were forced to return to Jolo andto obtain €25,000 (euro), under threat of seeing their six colleaguesdecapitated. The latter were finally released the next day afterbeing robbed of their money, cell phones, watches and shoes by themen of Commander Robot, one of the five leaders of Abu Sayyaf.The Philippine authorities subsequently asked Western journaliststo refrain from trying to meet hostages, to avoid compromisingtheir chances of securing their release.On July 2 of that year, Andreas Lorenz, a reporter with theGerman weekly Der Spiegel, was kidnapped for the second time bythe same group while he was again trying to establish contact withthe hostages. He was held for 25 days. The Abu Sayyaf group saidthat journalists would no longer be authorised to visit hostages.On July 9, rebels demanded a ransom in exchange for the release ofthree journalists from France-2 TV network.Later that month Agence France Presse quoted local sources assaying that since no foreign journalists remained on the island,rebels were considering kidnapping local journalists. A few dayslater two journalists from ABS-CBN, the largest television networkin the Philippines, were kidnapped near the town of Patikul.Cameraman Val Cuenca and researcher/writer Maan Macapagalwere on Jolo to cover the hostage crisis.National Filipino journalists continued to be targets. In January2002, Arlyn de la Cruz, a reporter for Manila's Net 25 cable TV, anda contributor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, was held for more thanthree months before being released, after a sponsor reportedlystepped in to pay a ransom. De la Cruz was abducted on January 19by former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) guerrillas who bythen had become part of the Philippine Armed Forces (‘integrees’).She was in Basilan to conduct interviews with the Abu SayyafGroup, which had been holding two Americans and one Filipinocaptive (see box) since May 2001.De la Cruz said the group that had taken her hostage thoughtThe Abu Sayyaf Group abductedtourists from Palawan Island inMay 2001 and took morehostages in escaping a militaryattempt to free them.Several hostages, includingAmerican Guillermo Sobero,were killed, but most werereleased. From November 2001only New Tribes Mission coupleMartin and Gracia Burnham andFilipino nurse Ediborah Yapremained in captivity.On June 7 2002, the Philippinemilitary tried to free them. MartinBurnham and Ediborah Yap werekilled. Gracia Burnham waswounded but was freed.65