Thu, 01:57 19 Mar 2009 GMT17

 

Philippines: ICRC appeals for release of staff one week after their abduction
22 Jan 2009 06:18:57 GMT
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Manila (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling for the rapid and unconditional release of its three kidnapped staff members in the southern Philippines.

Mary-Jean Lacaba, Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter were seized exactly a week ago by a group of unidentified armed men on the southern Philippine island of Sulu after a visit to the Jolo provincial jail, where they were working on a water and sanitation project to improve living conditions for the detainees.

"I appeal to those who are holding Mary-Jean, Andreas and Eugenio to let them go as quickly as possible," said Alain Aeschlimann, the ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific in Geneva.

"We want to have them back safe and sound.

Their children, spouses, parents, siblings and loved ones are anxious and waiting for them to come home." The ICRC has been in contact with the three staff members several times since they were kidnapped on 15 January.

The last time the three were able to call was on 19 January.

"We hope that we'll hear their voices again soon and that they remain unharmed," said Aeschlimann.

"We also continue to hope that this difficult situation will have a positive outcome."
For further information, please contact:
Roland Bigler, ICRC Manila, tel.

+63 2 892 89 01 or +63 918 907 2125
Anna Nelson, ICRC Manila, tel.

+632 892 89 01 or +63 918 683 0184
Rene Guioguio, ICRC Manila, tel.

+632 892 89 01 or +63 928 550 4136
Carla Haddad Mardini, ICRC Geneva, tel.

+41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26



See also ICRC media contacts

This article on www.icrc.org

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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