Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Philippine militants free teacher in south
27 Mar 2008 08:31:32 GMT
 Source: Reuters
MANILA, March 27 (Reuters) - The Philippines' most notorious Islamic group has freed the principal of a Roman Catholic school on a remote southern island after two months of captivity, police said on Thursday.

Abu Sayyaf rebels kidnapped Omar Taup and shot and killed a Roman Catholic priest in raid on Tawi-tawi island on Jan 16. Taup was left at a public market on a nearby island more than a week ago, Wainwright Taup, police chief in Tawi-tawi, told reporters.

The two men are not related.

"Taup was very sick when we found him on March 17," the police chief said, adding he was taken to a private hospital in Zamboanga City where he was still recovering.

The freed captive, a Muslim, was principal of the Catholic- run Notre Dame school on Tawi-tawi.

Police chief Taup said the victim's family paid a "board and lodging" fee to secure his release from the Abu Sayyaf rebels.

He did not specify the amount but army and police intelligence officials claimed at least 200,000 pesos ($4,790) was paid.

Taup's captors had initially demanded 1 million pesos but cut the price during negotiations.

The Philippines is a largely Catholic country, but some members of the Muslim minority in the south have been fighting for decades for some measure of self-rule.

The Abu Sayyaf, which is entrenched on the islands of Jolo and Basilan, has been blamed for the country's worst terrorist attack, the bombing of a ferry near Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.

It traditionally relies on ransom from kidnappings to fund its operations and has decapitated some of its captives in the past. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  Direct Relief International Recognizes World TB Day 2008
DRI - USA

•  New funding opportunities for civil society to tackle HIV
International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK

•  Aid for families hit by Philippines floods
Plan UK

•  IMPACT 2010: new strategy to take community action to scale
International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Blast near Philippine presidential palace wounds 15

•  Blast near Philippine presidential palace wounds 15

•  PRESS DIGEST-Indonesian General news - March 14

•  Philippine rebels doubt talks will lead anywhere

•  Philippine rebels endorse peace but worry about delay

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Related articles

Breaking stories
Philippine militants free teacher in south (1 minute ago)

Philippine ex-general faces corruption charges (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
MEDIAWATCH: Women's Day, a time to grieve, a time to be inspired (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
Direct Relief International Recognizes World TB Day 2008 (1 minute ago)

Blogs
Bali climate change talks: 'The long, arduous road' to nowhere? (1 minute ago)

Maps
MAP: Global flood locations week ending March 4 ,2008 (1 minute ago)


Country information

Facts & figures
Philippines

Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-03-22T112331Z_01_MAN213_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES-RICE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN213.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-03-22T112102Z_01_MAN215_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES-RICE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN215.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-03-22T111822Z_01_MAN212_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES-RICE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN212.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-03-22T111429Z_01_MAN214_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES-RICE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN214.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-03-15T072033Z_01_MAN202_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN202.htm

A farmer harvests rice stalks in Carigara, in the province of Leyte, central Philippines March 22, 2008. For Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, already battling a corruption scandal, the price of ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Thu Mar 27 08:29:13 2008