Kidnappers extend deadline for talks to free Philippine journalists

PHILIPPINES: Al-Qaida-linked militants extended a Tuesday deadline for a ransom payment to free a popular TV news anchor and her cameraman kidnapped in the southern Philippines, a negotiator said.

The kidnappers, whom police have identified as Abu Sayyaf militants, earlier set the deadline at noon (0400 GMT) Tuesday for the payment of a 15 million peso (US$337,000) ransom for ABS-CBN anchor Ces Drilon, her cameraman and a university professor.

They had threatened to behead the hostages two hours later if the ransom is not paid, one of the negotiators, Jun Isnaji, told reporters on southern Jolo island.

Isnaji said the abductors did not set a new deadline, but agreed to continue talks. Isnaji has been negotiating with the kidnappers with his father, Alvarez Isnaji, who is mayor of Sulu province’s Indanan township.

Isnaji said he couldn’t say for sure that the deadline had been extended indefinitely, but that the kidnappers said they “will not do anything until 2 o’clock because we are still negotiating.”

“Their ultimatum (yesterday) was negotiation until 12 o’clock, and if there is no agreement by 12, they will do something,” Isnaji said in a news briefing broadcast by ABS-CBN’s radio station DZMM.

“They said they will behead them. But today, they are not saying that anymore,” he added.

Manila, Tuesday, AP