Ransom or Donation -Case of Australian hostage

Dear mouse,

In my blog entry entitled "Australian foreign minister downer" I quoted his reaction on the Philippines' withdrawal of the Philippine troops in exchange for the freedom of Angelo Reyes.

This was his statement :

"This is the problem with the Filipino decision, you see," Downer said. "They’ve acceded to the demands of terrorists and within a day or so of the Filipinos doing that, six more people were taken hostage in Iraq." He said "these actions have encouraged terrorists to continue these threats, so now we are subjected, as the Italians are and the Poles and the Bulgarians, from this particular group,to further threats."

Now they have a new definition for ransom or for anything that may be traded off to free the hostage.

Read.

NATIONAL NEWS

16/05/2005 11:45:18

AMHoward backs Wood family's Iraq donation Prime Minister John Howard says a donation to the Iraqi people from the family of Australian hostage Douglas Wood does not amount to a ransom payment.The family of Mr Wood has promised his Iraqi captors what it calls a generous donatio n if the 63-year-old engineer is released unharmed. The Australian has been in captivity for more than two weeks, held by a rebel group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq.The last official word from Mr Wood's captors was over a week ago, when they demanded the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq and issued a DVD showing Mr Wood battered, bruised and pleading for help.When Mr Howard was asked on Monday whether he thought the family's donation offer could be seen as a ransom payment to the hostage-takers, he replied: "No I don't, it is a desperately sad situation," he told Southern Cross Broadcasting."What I've tried to do in this case is to see that everybody is working together, that everybody knows what the other person's doing."He said the family was acting admirably given the tragic circumstances."So dignified, obviously very concerned about their brother, but understanding the broader issues at stake," he said."

Pardon me, sir?

Pakisabunutan nga ang buhok ko.

The Ca t