Ransom deadline passes

Press, 6 March 1978, Page 8

Ransom deadline passes

NZPA-Reuter Zamboanga City A three-day deadline for the payment of the $150,000 ransom demanded by the Filipino kidnappers of a French official, Pierre Huguet, has expired but southern military authorities have remained silent on the state of the negotiations. The authorities, however, were earlier confident that they would be able to secure the' release of Mr Huguet, who is 59, a senior official of the French Culture Ministry, without, paying any ransom.

The military have been! awaiting the return of anl emissary from discussions with the Muslim rebels of the Moro National Liberation Front who are believed to be holding Mr Huguet on Basilan Island, a one-hour boat ride from Zamboanga city, 840 km south of Manila. The authorities had hoped that the kidnappers, whose alleged leader is described as a brother-in-law of the emissary', would release him after the arrest of some of their relatives. The emissary was believed to be carrying an amnesty offer from the Government that was conditional on the abductors quickly releasing Mr Huguet, seized a week ago while on holiday with his wife, Nicole. Mrs Huguet was not with her husband at the time. On Friday, terrorists, also believed to be members of the Moro National Liberation Front, freed two Filipino Roman Catholic nuns kidnapped .two' weeks ago. military sources said. The nuns, abducted on| February 17 for a $26,606 i ransom had been released ini a remote village near Ma-i rawi City in Lanao del Suri province, 240 kilometres I north-east of Zambanga' City, the sources said. No I ransom was paid. The sources quoted the! nuns as saying their captors i had been polite, helpful, and respectful. They said the ter-j

rorists abandoned their captives near where the military was conducting an operation. A Philippine Army colonel is still being held for aj $33,000 ransom. The southern military command earlier announced the surrender of 129 Muslim rebels who nad been fighting Government troops on the far southern island of Jolo. Those who surrendered to the southern military commander (Rear-Admiral Romulo Espaldon) brought to about 500 the number of Muslims from the Jolp area who had surrendered to the authorities since the start of I

the year, the military said. The surrender ceremonies were held as two battalions of Government troops pounded rebel positions in the rugged Indanan area of Jolo, 960 km south of Manila in operations to flush out Osman Salleh. Salleh is the leader of a rebel band accused of killing a top field general and 34 of his officers and men during a supposed truce meeting .‘i October. Salleh, believed wounded in an earlier operation in Join’s Patikul district near Indanan, has a price of 500,000 pesos (about $60,000) on his head.