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Philippine President Says Chinese Hostage's Release Hopeful
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday told Chinese Ambassador Wang Chungui that the release of a Chinese hostage who was kidnapped in the southern Philippines, is very hopeful.
The president presented to Wang Filipino-Chinese Edwin Lim who was kidnapped together with Chinese national Zhang Zhongyi in North Cotabato on August 12 when they were trying to rescue Zhang's brother, earlier abducted Zhang Zhongqiang, from the kidnappers.
Lim, interpreter of the Chinese, was released late Wednesday in Kabacan, a town in North Cotabato province, by the kidnappers who ever asked for 10 million U.S. dollars in ransom for the lives of the Zhangs and other two Chinese companions.
Zhang Zhongqiang and a Chinese companion Xue Xing were killed in a gunfighting between government troops and the kidnappers on August 19. The other Chinese companion managed to escape.
Arroyo told Wang that Lim's safely release is the result of joint effort by some government officials, the military and local officials in the south. Informal negotiations are undergoing for the safely release of Zhang Zhongyi.
Wang said he was glad for Lim's release and grateful for the effort made by the Philippine government. He believed the Philippine government will reach the goal of Zhang's safely release through further effort.
Interpreter Freed, Chinese Hostage Still HeldThe Filipino Muslim bandit group "Pentagon" has released a Filipino-Chinese interpreter, but still holds a Chinese national as hostage, a government official said on Thursday.
The interpreter, Edwin Lim, was set free late Wednesday night in the southern town of Kabacan after local government officials negotiated with the bandits, a ABS-CBN on-line report quoted official Jesus Dureza as saying.
Dureza was once involved in negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a major rebel group in southern Philippines. "Pentagon" is a little known bandit group whose members were allegedly former MILF guerrillas.
Zhang Zhongyi, a Chinese national, was still held by the kidnap-for-ransom group.
Zhang, his interpreter Lim and another two co-workers were kidnapped in Minsanao in early August when they tried to negotiate the release of Zhang Zhongqiang, a contractor at a Japan-funded irrigation project in Mindanao Island who was abducted on June 20 by these bandits.
Lim was presented to the media Thursday morning, and Dureza denied reports that Lim was released after ransom was paid.
Officials here said they will continue negotiation to secure the early release of Zhang Zhongyi.
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