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DATE=4/30/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=PHILIPPINES HOSTAGES (L-O) UPDATE
NUMBER=2-261846
BYLINE=HUGH WILLIAMSON
DATELINE=MANILA
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  There is no clear end in sight for the two 
hostages crises in the southern Philippines.  The 
location of the 27-hostages being held by an Islamic 
extremist group on Basilan island is not known, while 
the 21-hostages on neighboring Jolo island are 
reported to be weak and in need of food.  Hugh 
Williamson reports from Manila
TEXT:  Military officials on Basilan island say they 
have taken control of 95-percent of the mountain camp 
where the Abu Sayyaf Islamic separatist group has been 
holding 27 hostages for more than six-weeks.  But the 
officials say they have yet to find the hostages.  
The military believes they are with their captors in a 
200-meter-long tunnel under the camp.  The military 
says it may use tear gas to clear the tunnel.
An Abu Sayyaf spokesman says the rebels have left the 
camp with their hostages and are now on the run. 
In the other hostage crisis on neighboring Jolo 
island, there is growing concern for the condition of 
the 21 hostages, who include tourists from Europe and 
south Africa.  A journalist who has seen the hostages 
says they are weak and many are suffering from 
diarrhea.  The journalist said they are in acute need 
of food, medical supplies, and clean drinking water. 
Formal negotiations concerning the hostages have yet 
to begin, and the demands of the hostage-takers - 
believed to be a mixed group of kidnappers and Abu 
Sayyaf members - remain unclear.  The military in Jolo 
says it has largely surrounded the area where the 
hostages are being held, although at present the 
emphasis is on finding a peaceful end to the crisis. 
Germany, France, and Finland, which all have hostages 
on Jolo, intend to send food and medical supplies to 
the captives this week - as soon as the kidnappers 
give their permission.
Making things worse for the Philippine government, 
another Islamic separatist group has unilaterally 
ended peace negotiations with Manila.  The Moro 
Islamic Liberation Front, which is larger and 
generally more influential than the Abu Sayyaf group, 
called off talks after a series of clashes with the 
military on the main southern island of Mindanao.  The 
government says its lines of communication with the 
group are still open.   (SIGNED)
NEB/HW/RAE
30-Apr-2000 11:25 AM EDT (30-Apr-2000 1525 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.