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Rebels seek to end hostage standoff
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MUSLIM rebels got in touch with a Philippine Government negotiator yesterday to try to end the standoff, but have not spelled out any demands.
"Abu Sabaya (one of the leaders of the Abu Sayyaf rebels) made contact this morning with the government-designated intermediary," presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao told reporters.
"There's no actual talk on what they really want. But what's good is there is contact. So while military operations and the no-ransom policy continue, there's someone who talks to them. It's important to be able to open other venues for ending this hostage crisis."
Boasting a modern arsenal bought with ransom money, the Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf is running circles around the poorly-equipped Philippine military.
Soldiers faced bigger risks now because the Abu Sayyaf have updated their arsenal from millions of dollars in ransom payments for European and Malaysian nationals they seized from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan last year.
The backbone of its air force is a squadron of fighter planes, the most sophisticated of which are 11 refurbished F-5 fighters.
The guerrillas were likely heading to Basilan's southern coast, their main base on Jolo island.
The Philippine Muslim rebels, who snatched three Americans and 17 Filipinos from an island resort on May 27, broke through a military cordon on Sunday after fierce battles with soldiers surrounding them in the town of Lamitan on Basilan island, 900 km south of Manila.
After boldly seizing a hospital in Lamitan, rebels resumed their cat-and-mouse game in the jungle on Monday with army troops anxious to make up for letting the militants slip past them twice with hostages.
The armed forces have been on the receiving end of criticism from the public and media following this failed rescue attempt in Lamitan.
Nine managed to flee during a heavy military assault on the hospital in Lamitan or during the rebels' escape after the attack.
Local reports said some hostages may have been freed after relatives paid ransoms via bank transfers. The parents of an American missionary taken hostage said they had not been contacted and would not pay anyway.(SD-Agencies)
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