(Satellite image by Google Maps at http://www.maps.google.com used here for educational, non-commercial purposes under the terms of service of said site. Basilan, site of the kidnap, is the spot marked with a small red balloon with the letter “A” inside. You can close the dialog balloon by clicking the “x” of the balloon. You can zoom in by clicking the + sign or plus sign at the left-hand corner of the image; you can zoom in by as much as four times and see the color of roofs of houses; zoom out by clicking the – sign or minus sign; you can pan, or move across the image, by clicking any of the arrows at the left-hand corner of the image. When you zoom in, you have to pan downwards to still see Basilan. The satellite image is of course not real-time.)
The Baselco kidnap hostages, four employees of the Basilan Electric Cooperative, have been released, thanks to the local government negotiating committee led by Basilan Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakahalul. According to the media, the kidnappers were widely believed to be ASG. While the police and local government authorities have a tried-and-tested formula for handling kidnap-for-ransom situations, there are no guarantees.
Apparently, in many instances, silent negotiations can be productive while heightening the publicity raises the ransom demand; i don’t know; as i said, the police have their “tried and tested” methods. Concerned friends and groups who call the attention of the public while the kidnap is on-going, do so only because they feel, or they think, or they can see, that government authorities may not do enough or are not doing anything if/ because there is not enough public pressure on government to do its job. On the other hand, those who prefer silent negotiations, most of the time family members and close friends, are too afraid to make a mistake where a loved one’s life is at stake.
In the first few hours, or first few days where you need to establish communication lines with the captors of your loved ones, you’ll probably have to do a silent search by activating or mobilizing all, any, and whatever contacts you may have. But when no communication lines open in the first few hours or first few days (please don’t ask me how many hours or days, i don’t have a formula, i’m just basing this on former clients who’ve had missing relatives); when no communication lines open in the first few hours, or first few days, the longer you keep quiet without getting any info, the farther away your missing loved one would be; in other words, the possibility of finding him/her becomes more remote; so the family members have to decide when it’s time to raise hell when no useful information is forthcoming.
Handling kidnap for ransom is different from handling missing relatives who are politically active, and whom you think are in the hands of government security forces (as documented by Amnesty Internationale).
Apparently, in this country, the kidnap-for-ransom gangs can be talked with, can be bargained with, can be given something in exchange for the hostage; but will behead the hostage if negotiations fall through.
Government security forces who snatch activists as documented by Amnesty Internationale on the other hand operate under a veneer of “anti-communist ideology” and “anti-communist self-righteousness” that they think are non-negotiable, and think nothing of “disappearing” their captives.
The first are lawless elements, the second think they are above the law.
The first can be wiped out by professional law-enforcement: systematic gathering of intel information, identification, pursuit, arrests, etc. The second, when it is unofficially abetted by government, can be resolved only by the abatement of the regime that enables it.
