New proof of life of kidnapped Australian Warren Rodwell surfaces in the Southern Philippines

From the Mindanao Examiner (Dec 26): New proof of life of kidnapped Australian Warren Rodwell surfaces in the Southern Philippines

A new video clip of kidnapped Australian adventurer Warren Rodwell has surfaced in YouTube and giving fresh hope that the former soldier is still alive and being held in the southern Philippines. Rodwell, 57, was kidnapped last year by armed men disguised as policemen who barged in his house in the coastal town of Ipil in Zamboanga del Sur province. Rodwell is married to a Filipina Miraflor Gutang, whom she met on the Internet. He is believed being held in Basilan province, although there were reports that Abu Sayyaf rebels tried, but failed to bring him to Sulu province.

Philippine authorities tied the Abu Sayyaf to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya and it has been largely blamed for the kidnappings of many foreigners for ransom in Mindanao. Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said Rodwell was last reported being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf. “Our efforts to locate Warren Rodwell are continuing, but the kidnappers have been constantly moving from one location to another and that is our problem now. He is also being used by the Abu Sayyaf as human shield and the safety of Warren is our top concern also,” Cruz told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner on Wednesday.

In the latest video clip, Rodwell, wearing a black sweat shirt appeared cleanly shaven, but frail and holding a copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer dated December 16, 2012.  A white linen with a floral design served as back draft as Rodwell spoke to the camera – his eyes repeatedly blinked and he would randomly looked to his left and his right, and occasionally would stare directly above the camera as if he was trying to decipher a gesture or hand signal from his captors. In the entire 2 minute clip, a man was heard coughing repeatedly while Rodwell spoke about his ordeal and at the end expressed hopelessness about his situation. He at one point in the clip said he does not trust either the Abu Sayyaf or the Australian government.

The complete text of the clip is as follows: “My name is Warren Richard Rodwell from Australia, today is Sunday, December 16, 2012, and this newspaper is Saturday, December 15, 2012. I have been held prisoner, kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf Muslim terrorist group for over one year, actually 54 weeks today. I was kidnapped on December 5, 2012. This video clip today is to say that I am live. I am waiting to be released. I have no idea what’s going on outside. I am just kept, held prisoner in isolation.” “Again, I am alive. It’s 378 days I think, something like that. This newspaper is from the Philippines. If any, honestly and if there is some negotiation I do not get any information and the people around me don’t normally speak English and I understand something is happening but I don’t know when. I do not expect to be released before the year 2013 at the earliest. I personally hold no hope at all for being release. I do not trust the Abu Sayyaf, I do not trust the Australian government. I just don’t trust anyone, personally, I don’t care.”

There was no immediate statement from the Australian Embassy about the latest video clip of Rodwell.

In October, government troops clashed with Abu Sayyaf rebels in Sulu province following intelligence reports about the presence of kidnapped victims in the hinterlands of Patikul town. Aside from Rodwell, Abu Sayyaf and members of the Moro National Liberation Front are said to be holding two European wildlife photographers - Ewold Horn, 52, from Holland; and Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, from Switzerland - who were also kidnapped earlier this year in Tawi-Tawi province. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding a Japanese man and three Filipinos in Sulu. Philippine authorities have imposed a news blackout on the kidnappings of the foreigners, although there were reports that negotiations for the safe release of Rodwell and the other foreigners are going on.

Just in September, the Abu Sayyaf freed a kidnapped Chinese man Jian Luo, 48, in Zamboanga City after his family paid some P5 million ransom. His compatriot Jampong Lin-Yuankai, 38, was later rescued following a gun battle in a village also in Zamboanga City. The two men - who are natives of Guangdong province and are engaged in buying and selling of manganese and other minerals - were kidnapped by followers of Abu Sayyaf leader Khair Mundos in Kabasalan town near where Rodwell was snatched.

Mundos is wanted both by the Philippine and US authorities for his role in the transfer of al-Qaeda funds to the Abu Sayyaf which had been used to carry out terror attacks in Mindanao and other parts of the country. According to the US Rewards for Justice Program, Mundos is a key leader and financier of the Abu Sayyaf. He was arrested in May 2004 and confessed to having arranged the transfer of funds from al-Qaeda to Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadafy Janjalani. But in February 2007, Mundos escaped from the Kidapawan Provincial Jail in North Cotabato province. It was unknown whether Mundos was also involved in Rodwell kidnapping.

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