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Philippine rebels release South African hostage

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Released South African hostage Monique Strydom, right, hugs South African envoy Lindiwe Mabuza, after Strydom was presented a bouquet of flowers upon arrival here in Zamboanga city from nearby Jolo island following her release Sunday, Aug. 27, 2000. Strydom and four other foreign hostages were released Sunday following 156 days in captivity from the hands of the Muslim Abu Sayyaf kidnappers in nearby Jolo island. Beaming behind is Government Chief negotiator Robert Aventajado. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

August 29, 2000 

JOLO, Philippines (AP) - Muslim rebels freed a South African man Monday, leaving six foreigners and 12 Filipinos still in guerrilla hands on a remote Philippine island.

"I'm over the moon" with happiness, South African Callie Strydom said. "It's a different world out here."

Strydom's wife, Monique, was freed Sunday by the Abu Sayyaf rebels along with three French women and a German man after Libya agreed to pay dlrs 1 million for each, negotiators said.

South African Ambassador Lindiwe Mabuza immediately telephoned her country's president with tears of happiness in her eyes to inform him of Strydom's release.

"I'm ecstatic," she said. "It's fantastic."

The hostages were to be flown later Monday to Tripoli to meet with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Libya has long-standing ties to Muslim rebels in the mostly Catholic Philippines.

Libyan Ambassador Saleem Adam dismissed allegations that his country was trying to improve its international image by bankrolling the ransom. "This is a humanitarian mission, he said. "It has no other motivation."

Freedom was bittersweet for the released hostages because of having to leave loved ones and friends in the rebels' camp.

"It's very sad to leave the other guys behind," Strydom said. "It's not easy coming out one-by-one because we've been together in this for so long."

"This will only be over once we are all together, and I told them we just pray that this will be very soon," he said.

Strydom was released despite a demand earlier Monday by the rebels that negotiators bring them two guerrillas arrested last week while carrying bags of cash.

The demand was made by Abu Sayyaf rebel commander Ghalib "Robot" Andang in a telephone call to a go-between.

Negotiators said they were unable to locate the two arrested guerrillas, who were freed on bail Saturday, and hoped Andang would accept a court document attesting to their release.

The two arrested guerrillas - one a relative of a rebel commander - were detained Thursday while trying to convert dlrs 240,000 into Philippine pesos at a bank and were charged with being accessories to kidnapping. They admitted they received the money from the rebels, police said.

The cash is believed to be part of the estimated dlrs 5.5 million in ransom paid to the rebels for the previous release of nine Malaysians and a German.

Most of the foreign hostages were kidnapped April 23 from Malaysia's Sipadan diving resort. The Abu Sayyaf also seized three French television journalists last month who were covering the hostage crisis, and a dozen Filipino Christian evangelists who visited the rebels' camp to pray for the captives.

The rebels have insisted on freeing the hostages in batches to avert any military attack.

However, chief government negotiator Robert Aventajado said a "global agreement" has been reached for the release of all the hostages within two weeks.

"But we're hopeful we will be able to work for the release of all the Sipadan hostages within one week," he said.

Released French hostage Maryse Burgot, right, a television journalist, is escorted by an unidentified official to a waiting plane to take her and fellow released hostage to a city in central Philippines after she was flown into Zamboanga city from Jolo island following her release Sunday, Aug. 27, 2000. Five foreign hostages were released Sunday following 156 days in captivity from the hands of the Muslim Abu Sayyaf kidnappers in nearby Jolo island. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

On Sunday, the rebels released Sonia Wendling of France, French-Lebanese citizen Marie Moarbes, South African Monique Strydom, German Werner Wallert, and Maryse Burgot, a French journalist.

The Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two Muslim rebel groups in the southern Philippines, says it is fighting for an independent Islamic state. The government insists the organization is a group of bandits practicing kidnapping and piracy.

The rebels have been holding the hostages in a jungle on Jolo, 940 kilometers (580 miles) south of Manila. Before the kidnapping they were estimated to number about 500 in the province but have grown to 5,000 as many recruits have been attracted by the large ransom payments, a military official said.

Still in captivity are one French, one German and two Finns kidnapped from the Malaysian resort, two French journalists, and the 12 Filipino evangelists.

For years, Libya has helped mediate between Muslim guerrillas and the Philippine government and helped build schools and mosques in the impoverished south.

But Libya also has been accused of training rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, another separatist group fighting for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

South African President Thabo Mbeki welcomed word of the hostages' freedom, as did French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.