Kidnappers give death warning

Press, 27 May 1978, Page 9

Kidnappers give death warning

NZPA San Salvador The kidnappers of a Japanese industrialist have threatened to execute him unless the Salvadorian Government meets demands to release 38 alleged political prisoners. The National Resistance Armed Forces, a Leftist guerrilla group, said in a statement distributed clandestinely that Fujio Matsumoto would be executed at noon yesterday unless the prisoners were released. They gave a list. A Government spokesman |said none of the names was] : on the Government’s list of | : political prisoners. The N.R.A.F. on May 17[ kidnapped 54-year-old Mr; Matsumoto as he left the, San Salvador offices of Syh-] thetic Industries of Central ] America, a plastics manufac-l turing combine of which he is president. The Government was; doing everything it could to) guarantee the life of Mr ] Matsumoto, an official ; spokesman said in what ap-; | peared to be a reply to an appeal the Japanese Prime I Minister (Mr Takeo Fukuda) 1

sent the Salvadorian President (Mr Carlos Humberto , Romero) earlier this week. The Salvadorian spokesman expressed regrets over the kidnapping. • A friend of the Matsumoto family said eight big companies with heavy Japanese investments in El Salvador were secretly negotiating with the kidnappers to try to convince them to accept a cash settlement instead of the release of political prisoners in exchange for his life. The friend refused to give! details and added: “We just] I want to save Matsumoto’s; life. We are not interested in | politics.” : Another Leftist guerrilla j : group kidnapped the Salvadorian Foreign Minister, Mr* ] Mauricio Borgonovo, in | I April last year. His bullet-riddled body I was found by a roadside] ]three weeks later, after the: Government had refused a kidnappers’ demand for the, ’release of 37 political pris-j oners. ’ Some of the names on that list also appear on the; list given by Mr Matsu ; moto’s kidnappers.