Colombian rebel captives' release seems imminent

[Judi Lynn]

Colombian rebel captives' release seems imminent
The Associated Press
Saturday, March 27, 2010; 5:13 PM

VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia -- The release of two soldiers held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia appears imminent nearly a year after the rebels first announced it.

Two loaned Brazilian helicopters with Red Cross logos arrived Saturday in the eastern city of Villavicencio. They are to pick up the ailing 23-year-old Pvt. Josue Calvo on Sunday. Calvo has been a captive for a year.

Sgt. Pablo Emilio Moncayo is to be freed separately in the coming days. He has been held for 12 years.

Leading the mission is opposition Sen. Piedad Cordoba, to whom the FARC gave pickup coordinates.

Colombia's military has agreed to halt operations in the handover zones.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/27/AR2010032702189.html

[rabs]

1. Video: Piedad and others arrive in Villavicencio this morning

(Shows Piedad, Red Cross, religious and human rights people arriving at Colombian military base from where the helicopters will depart to go pick up the captives.) (Spanish, 4 minutes, Piedad speaking)

http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/paz/video-asi-fue-llegada-villavicencio-de-piedad-cordoba

Those two Brazilian helicopters appear to be military, although marked with Red Cross symbols.

Calvo's release is set for tomorrow, Moncayo's on Tuesday. Calvo is said to be suffering from a bullet wound to one of his knees and will be taken to a military hospital in Bogota.

The military has promised a cease-fire in the region while the two operations are under way. There are about 150 Colombian and foreign journalists there to record the releases.

There is a smokescreen today; a suspect has been arrested in the car-bomb attack in Buenaventura this week. That will steal some headlines in Colombia from the release of the two soldiers.

---------------

There was a slight problem yesterday, Piedad and the rest went to the remote jungle village of San Gabriel de Cachoeira (Brazil) where the helicopters were awaiting.

The problem was that they had to scramble for a place to spend the night because all rental rooms were taken -- The King and Queen of Sweden were in the village for some ecological meeting. The village is on the bank of the Rio Negro, one of the main feeder rivers of the Amazon.

[Judi Lynn]

2. So interesting. 1st time I've heard Piedad Cordoba's voice. Very nice, too.

So much happening at once. It would be hard to focus adequately, since there's undoubtedly so much more going on behind the scenes which could overturn any successful outcome.

I would imagine dealing with people like the Uribistas teaches people early in the game to expect smokescreens every time.....

I wouldn't be surprise if the Swedish people's schedule didn't get accelerated at the last minute, to confuse the plans for the Red Cross people and Piedad, and wreck the operation.

If you hear anything about the suspects to the bombing, real or bogus, being charged, please post it, as we can be SURE we won't likely be hearing anything through U.S. corporate media outlets.

http://www.defesanet.com.br.nyud.net:8090/yy/colombia/dem_farc.jpg

Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senator Cordoba, Congressman Jim McGovern.

[rabs]

4. Okay, you asked for it

:-)

1. The "suspect" in the bombing was arrested in Cali, which is pretty far from Buenaventura. He was arrested because he was a previous owner of the car used in the bombing. Somebody had bought the car at a dealership in Cali two days before the blast. But the car had license plates from the city of Popayan, which is near the Ecuadoran border.

2. Today, unnamed "intelligence sources" said authorities were searching for four other persons, "Midget," "Little Pat," "Potato Face," and "Drum." They are suspects because their alleged boss, "Noses," was killed sometime ago by the military.

3. According to the sources, two of the above were seen walking nonchalantly from the scene of the blast, and another running away. The latter is said to have set off the bomb with a cell phone and that the bomb had a "cylindrical chip" in it (guess the chip survived the explosion much as the "magical laptops" did.

4. All previous mention that it may have been paramilitaries pissed off at the police has vanished from reporting in Colombian media. The day of the blast the interior minister in Bogota said narco-trafficking paramilitaries were the prime suspects.

Maybe the "magical laptops" will solve this mystery.

After all, the laptops in the hands of the uribista government are able to receive emails from the FUTURE. :rofl:

[Judi Lynn]

5. Say, that's some "mighty fine" detective work they've got going there. Super!

I recall the Interior Minister DID bring up the suspicion the suspects were paramilitary narcotraffickers.

Thank God they've got the car's previous owner locked up. You wouldn't want him getting loose again.

Thanks for the tribute to the fortune-telling abilities of the all-seeing magic laptop. How started WERE we when we learned stuff which wasn't even known back then, before Reyes died, suddenly appeared on the laptop long after he'd been murdered, indicating he had already set things in motion which never materialized until long after he was gone! Whoa! Makes your skin crawl.



http://www.friedbeef.com.nyud.net:8090/wp-content/images/Weblog/Top10WaystoExtendYourLaptopBatteryLife_7088/laptop.jpg

http://www.hollow-hill.com.nyud.net:8090/sabina/images/magic-laptop.jpg

[Bacchus39]

6. "Cali is pretty far from Buenaventura" map of Colombia

look at the map, what is your definition of "pretty far"? hint look in the southwest region and find Cali and then over to the left a little, that would be west, and what coastal port city do you see nearby?? and once again no link. is there a virus problem??

[Bacchus39]

3. we definitely don't want the arrest of a suspect of a massacre to get in the way

of the FARC's good deeds now do we?

[Judi Lynn]

7. Farc rebels poised to free Colombian soldier

Page last updated at 04:19 GMT, Sunday, 28 March 2010 05:19 UK
Farc rebels poised to free Colombian soldier

Vanessa Buschschluter
BBC News, Villavicencio, Colombia


Relatives of a kidnapped Colombian soldier have arrived in the city of Villavicencio ahead of his planned release.

Colombia's main leftist rebel group, the Farc, said it would proceed with its plans to unilaterally free Private Josue Daniel Calvo, 22, on Sunday.

A negotiating team will fly by helicopter to a set of co-ordinates given by the rebels for the handover.

Pte Calvo was seized in April 2009 and is reported to be in poor health.

Opposition Senator Piedad Cordoba said plans were also on schedule for the release on Tuesday of Sgt Pablo Emilio Moncayo, who has been in captivity for 12 years.

The negotiating team, made up of representatives of the Catholic Church, the International Red Cross and Senator Cordoba, will leave Villavicencio's Vanguardia airport by helicopter for a location chosen by the rebels.

The commander of Colombia's armed forces, Gen Freddy Padilla, had earlier announced a 36-hour halt to military operations in the southern part of the country where Pte Calvo is being held.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8591334.stm

[Judi Lynn]

8. A las 7 de la mañana partirá operativo de liberación

A las 7 de la mañana partirá operativo de liberación

La familia del soldado profesional espera que la senadora Piedad Córdoba y su comitiva de Paz, traigan a casa al uniformado antes de que acabe el día.

El dolor y sufrimiento que causa el secuestro a los colombianos puede llegar a su fin este domingo para una de las angustiadas familias. Todo indica que el cautiverio en el cual mantienen las Farc a un compatriota terminará.

La esperanza que vive este domingo la familia de Josué Daniel Calvo es inmensa, pues a las 7 de la mañana parte una misión humanitaria que espera regresar a la libertad al soldado profesional Josué Daniel Calvo.

Esta familia, que desde el 20 de abril de 2009 está sufriendo por el secuestro, aguarda con una gran ilusión el retorno a casa de Calvo. Si todo sale según lo pronosticado, él regresará al seno del hogar antes de acabar el día.

Para esa fecha, en combates con las Farc en Vistahermosa (Meta), el uniformado dejó de compartir con los suyos debido al cautiverio al cual fue sometido, pero al parecer, todo volverá a la normalidad.

More:
http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/paz/articulo195474-7-de-manana-partira-operativo-de-liberacion

~~~~~
79 secuestrados en Colombia’
Un informe que presentó el Gobierno sorprendió al país, pues en el 2007 las cifras oficiales señalaban que en Colombia existían 2 800 casos de secuestro.

Santiago Zeas
Corresponsal en Bogotá

A raíz del proceso de liberación de los soldados Pablo Emilio Moncayo y Josué Daniel Calvo, en Colombia surgió una pregunta que aún carece de una respuesta precisa y creíble ¿Cuál es el número de secuestrados que todavía hay en este país andino?

En la semana que termina, el gobierno del presidente Álvaro Uribe presentó un informe, en el cual sostiene que solo quedan 79 personas secuestradas por grupos armados irregulares.

La cifra sorprendió al país, pues implica una reducción de más del 97% de los plagiados, en comparación con las estadísticas del 2007. Para ese año, las cifras oficiales señalaban que en Colombia existían 2 800 casos de secuestro.

gún el informe del Fondelibertad, una institución adscrita al Ministerio de Defensa de Colombia, de esos 2 800 plagiados
1 148 recobraron la libertad, 744 se encuentran en desaparición forzada (no se conoce su paradero), 211 murieron y 614 casos están por definirse.

Incluso, en ese grupo de 79 plagiados figuran el cabo Moncayo y el soldado Calvo, por lo que a partir de su liberación la cifra oficial quedaría en 77.

More:
http://www.elcomercio.com/noticiaEC.asp?id_noticia=342756&id_seccion=5

Google translation:

'79 Kidnapped in Colombia '
A report submitted by the Government surprised the country in 2007 as official figures indicated that in Colombia there were 2 800 cases of kidnapping.

Santiago Zeas
Correspondent in Bogota

Following the process of releasing the soldiers Pablo Emilio Moncayo and Joshua Daniel Calvo, a question arose in Colombia still lacks an accurate and credible answer What is the number of abductees who are still in this Andean country?

In the week ends, the government of President Álvaro Uribe issued a report, which argues that there are only 79 people abducted by irregular armed groups.

The figure stunned the country, it implies a reduction of over 97% of the hostages, compared with 2007 statistics. For that year, official figures indicated that in Colombia there were 2 800 cases of kidnapping.

Fondelibertad gun's report, an institution under the Ministry of Defense of Colombia, one of those 2 800 hostages
1 148 were freed, 744 are in forced disappearance (not known his whereabouts), 211 died and 614 cases to be defined.

Even in this group of 79 hostages include Moncayo and the soldier out Calvo, so their release from the official figure would be at 77.

However, the drastic drop in the number of hostages illegal and insurgent groups that have official figures raised suspicions and questions of institutions and foundations who study the phenomenon of kidnapping in Colombia.

The main criticisms are that do not know the exact mechanisms and methodologies that the Colombian government used for the purification of their databases.

While Fondelibertad says the study was based on a thorough cross databases of key public entities, their reliability is questionable.

The organization Pais Libre, which works with the families of abductees, said that official figures simply do not square with reality. His position is based on figures they manage.

Only this group is currently treating 137 cases involved in kidnapping. Jerónimo Castillo, who participates in investigations of this institution, argues that this figure corresponds to about 10% of the total national hostages. Therefore, the Free Country estimated that no less than 1 370 people were being held in Colombia.

Therefore, Olga Gomez, director of the foundation, says the figure is not credible launched from the Executive, which attributes the apparent reduction of kidnapping the success of the democratic security policy.

In fact, questions of the New Hope Foundation suggests that the official report is an instrument of government has worked to support democratic security during the eight years of President Álvaro Uribe.

"These figures are rigged and dishonest. You do not want (the government) to the actual loses credibility because the Democratic Security Policy, "emphasizes Gustavo Munoz, a member of New Hope.

According to this organization only in its database are registered 3 725 cases of kidnapping.

As the report assesses the growing questions about its thoroughness. For example the 614 cases, according to the Fondelibertad, say they are for clarification. For organizations working in the field, this is another indication of the apparent lack of objectivity in which girded the Ministry of Defense.

Among other reasons, because that has not been completed research not mean they are not kidnapped, but said that those Fondelibertad 614 no evidence to justify calling them "hostages".

Added to this is that the Government fails to disclose the identity and history of the 79 hostages. According to Harlan Henao, director of Fondelibertad, the reserve is due to the lack of consent of relatives.

~~~~~
Helicopters arrive in Brazil

AFP

Brazilian helicopters between Sunday and Tuesday kidnapped two soldiers collected last arrived yesterday afternoon to Villavicencio (130 km southeast of Bogota).

The aircraft left the Brazilian population of San Gabriel de Cachoeira, carrying members of the humanitarian mission in charge of collecting the military announced the release of which the FARC.

Traveling in helicopters, among others, Senator Piedad Cordoba, who the rebels pledged to hand over uniforms, as they have with other abductees.

Also spilled onto aircraft Roberta Facciola, delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Bishop Leonardo Gomez. The early hour Sunday, the mission will be relocated to somewhere in the jungles of southern Colombia, where he collected Joshua Calvo soldier, kidnapped by the FARC in April 2009.

Once consolidated that operation, the helicopters on Monday and the group will travel to Florence, in the department of Caqueta (south). It is anticipated that a day after the FARC delivered to that region Sergeant Pablo Emilio Moncayo, seized since December 1997 by the FARC.

http://www.elcomercio.com/noticiaEC.asp?id_noticia=342756&id_seccion=5

[Judi Lynn]

9. Colombia: FARC to release hostages —despite new government raids

Colombia: FARC to release hostages —despite new government raids

Submitted by WW4 Report on Sun, 03/28/2010 - 03:53. Colombia's Sen. Piedad Córdoba, flown by a Brazilian helicopter, arrived March 27 in the central city of Villavicencio to oversee the release of two hostages held by the FARC. Brazil is providing logistical support for the operation. Córdoba, the Brazilian team, the bishop of the city of Magangué, members of Colombians for Peace and members of the International Red Cross are scheduled to leave Villavicencio to pick up one of the two hostages this weekend.

The release of one of the hostages, soldier Pablo Emilio Moncayo, takes places almost a year after the FARC for the first time promised to release the soldier. Moncayo is the FARC's longest-held hostage, held in the jungle since 1997. According to the FARC, he is in poor health. Soldier Josué Daniel Calvo is also to be released. (Colombia Reports, March 27)

Also March 27, Colombian authorities announced the seizure of almost $2 million worth of assets belonging to FARC leader "Mono Jojoy," supposedly dismantling his financial network. The operation, organized by the Prosecutor General's Office and National Police, took place primarily in the central Colombian department of Meta, as well as in the cities of Bogotá, Ibagué and Casanare. The operations saw six separate raids carried out on property supposedly belonging to the FARC boss. Real estate, vehicles and computers were seized, and 12 people arrested. (Colombia Reports, March 27)

http://www.ww4report.com/node/8506