“The security forces are in control. Aside from the calibrated pressure to deny the bandits freedom of movement, the kidnappers are saddled by the fact that Vagni is not ambulant and must have to be carried as they move,” said Arevalo.
But the official admitted that local police, military and government officials are concerned with the health condition of Vagni.
A group of Muslim religious scholars in Sulu are currently negotiating with the ASG for the unconditional release of Vagni.
The military confirmed Wednesday that Italian Red Cross staffer Eugenio Vagni is still alive but has become a burden to his Abu Sayyaf group (ASG) captors as he could no longer walk because of a hernia.
Security officials hope the difficulty in taking Vagni around with them with military units closing in would make his captors realize it would be wiser just to release him, said Lieutenant-Colonel Edgard Arevalo, Sulu-based spokesman for the kidnapping crisis in the province.
“The 62 year-old Italian ICRC worker Eugenio Vagni is alive but under tight guard. Reports say he is well but unable to walk due to hernia,” said Arevalo.
Earlier, government officials said they have been using all avenues of communication to reestablish contact with the ASG led by Albader Parad and Doctor Abu for the delivery of medical supplies for Vagni while at the same time containing the group holding the hostage within a small area.
While Arevalo also confirmed that the ASG has splintered into small groups as part of a ploy to confuse security cordon in the jungles of Indanan and nearby towns, he vowed that the bandits will never succeed in getting out of the cordon.
He explained that they have long expected that the ASG would employ such strategy but revealed that such attempts repeatedly failed against contingency plans that the military has mapped out to counter it.
The last attempt of the ASG to employ such tactic, the official said, resulted in the recovery of Swiss Andreas Notter in Indanan town on Saturday.
“The security forces are in control. Aside from the calibrated pressure to deny the bandits freedom of movement, the kidnappers are saddled by the fact that Vagni is not ambulant and must have to be carried as they move,” said Arevalo.
But the official admitted that local police, military and government officials are concerned with the health condition of Vagni.
A group of Muslim religious scholars in Sulu are currently negotiating with the ASG for the unconditional release of Vagni.
“This condition of the kidnap victim is nonetheless a cause for concern for the crisis committee who has since employed the two-pronged approach of negotiation on the one hand and military pressure on the other. The former has to be obstinate and vigorous while the latter has to be deliberate and cautious. The committee concedes that in employing these approaches, time is of the essence,” said Arevalo.
In citeva cuvinte, Eugenio este inca viu, insa nu poate umbla din cauza herniei, si este sub stricta supraveghere a teroristilor.
Azi, Aprilie 22/2009
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