(1 Jun 2001)
1. Wide shot of radio booth at Radio Mindanao Network
2. Various of radio announcer
3. SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog - audio only) Abu Sabaya, Abu Sayyaf Leader:
"Two of the hostages were drinking water by the shore this morning and the government soldiers started firing, so the two were hit. I will not tell you who they are. You know we can help the government if they want to sacrifice the lives of these hostages. After we talk later, maybe we will start executing them".
4. Wide shot announcing booth
5. SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog - audio only) Unnamed Hostage:
"I ask the government to please stop military action. We have an eight year-old child with us."
6. wide shot briefing at Southern Command
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colonel Jose Mendoza, Philippines Military Southern Command:
"There is an encounter ongoing in Basilan, but we have to confirm if this is the group that is holding the hostages
8. Adan showing location of hostages on map
STORYLINE:
Troops from the Philippines military have clashed with Muslim extremists who kidnapped 20 hostages five days ago, then chased them into dense jungle.
Abu Sabaya, a leader of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, phoned a radio station in Zamboanga on Friday as the clashes were going on.
Sounding out of breath, he repeated a threat to kill the hostages and claimed two, whom he would not identify, had been hit by gunfire.
A military spokesman, said the fighting started at about 7 a.m. (2300 GMT Thursday) and continued for three-and-a-half hours.
Brigadier General Edilberto Adan said troops had cordoned off a 180-square-kilometer (72-square-mile) area on Basilan island, in the southern Philippines.
Adan said visibility of only 15 meters (16.4 yards) due to terrain and jungle was hampering their rescue efforts.
Sabaya put one of the 17 Filipino hostages, Teresa Ganzon, on the phone to RMN radio in Zamboanga.
Her voice breaking and with gunfire in the background, Ganzon said the hostages were in danger of being killed.
"We were being treated well up to now, but these encounters are going to cost us our lives. There are children with us. It is not easy to be running in these mountains with children in tow. Please."
Ganzon said the American hostages were with her group, but she could not confirm if two hostages had been wounded.
Sabaya said the clash started when his men allowed a group of hostages to take a bath in a nearby river.
He said advancing troops found them and started firing.
The military confirmed that one army lieutenant was wounded in the clash.
Sabaya said that in addition to the 20 hostages taken Sunday from the Dos Palmas beach resort in the southwestern Philippines, his group had seized 10 fisherman.
He would not provide any details of the hostages' conditions but said if they get sick, they won't receive medical treatment.
"They may die anyway, Sabaya said, "maybe you cannot blame us if we begin to execute hostages one by one."
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Ещё видео!