CSM: "Irish priest kidnapped in Philippines released by MILF"

[Bucky]

But it was a full release?

Irish priest kidnapped in Philippines released by MILF

Filipino militants released an elderly Irish priest late on Wednesday night after holding him in captivity for 32 days. Father Michael Sinnott had worked in the Philippines for nearly 33 years when six armed gunmen kidnapped him from a gated compound in Pagadian City on Oct. 11. He was released into the custody of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which turned him over to government authorities on Thursday morning.

Although militants released a video in November in which Fr. Sinnott said his captors would release him in exchange for $2 million, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs says that he was released without any ransom payments.

Michael Martin, Ireland's foreign affairs minister told reporters that refusing to pay any ransom was in line with his country's policy to discourage future kidnappings, reports the Guardian. Paying kidnappers would set a precedent that endangers Irish citizens and "jeopardised the vital work of aid workers and missionaries around the world," he said.

According to a high-ranking member of MILF, the rebel group acted as an intermediary between the kidnappers and the government as a goodwill gesture to show their commitment to peace, reports The Philippine Star. Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF's vice chairman of political affairs, added that his organization would help bring the kidnappers to justice and "expressed disappointment" in response to claims that the abduction had been carried out by a rogue, MILF splinter group.

"The MILF is a mass-based organization with an objective, and it won't commit an act that would tarnish its reputation. In fact, the MILF always wants to project a good image not only within the Philippines but also in the entire world," Jaafar said.

Filipino police and military authorities later identified Sinnott's captors as part of a pirate band that eventually turned the priest over to a rogue element of MILF, reports Tempo, a Filipino newspaper.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1112/p99s01-duts.html

[JohnnyLib2]

1. That settles it, I WILL donate to DU again.

:rofl:

[rurallib]

3. truly news that you don't get elsewhere.

[guitar man]

2. He really didn't want to go

"Shoo, that's enough now, get on out of here!!"

:rofl:

[Iggo]

4. Was there a grail-shaped beacon involved?

[peekaloo]

5. catch and release program nt

[jobycom]

6. Man. I'm Like, Freaked. nt

[joeybee12]

7. This is just too, too great!

:rofl:

[begin_within]

8. Not only that,

Disneyland is planning to finally close the "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" attraction and in its place install "Monsters, Inc. Laughing Floor" and on most Disney fan sites attractions are known by their acronyms, so the scuttlebutt is, "Disneyland to evict HISTA and move in MILF."

[NewJeffCT]

9. Not as good a headline as "Air Force Pounds MILF Lairs with Rockets"

Air Force pounds MILF lairs with rockets

MANILA, Philippines - Air Force attack planes pounded yesterday the position of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Guindulungan, Maguindanao, as fighting between government troops and guerrillas entered its fourth day, a military spokesman reported.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said SF 21 Marchetti planes conducted two bombing runs between 11 a.m. and 12 noon.

He said that scores of MILF rebels are believed dead because of the accuracy of the rockets fired from the Air Force planes.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=475584

[Bucky]

11. These MILFs' demands are too stringest. They simply can't be satisfied.

They simply can't be reasoned with. We must subdue them by any means possible and pound them into exhaustion.

[arcadian]

10. I thought they were supposed to be celebate.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SoCalDem]

13. ah yeas.. that group again.. and then there was this one on PBS last week..

My son laughed his ass off..

http://www.talentfactory.dk/composite-1221.htm

[Soylent Brice]

14. DONG energy?????

AWESOME.