Hostages' proofs of life shock Colombians

The proofs of life of eight people held as hostages by the rebel Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) astonished the Colombian people, as they disclosed details of "the subhuman conditions" they face in the hands of the leftwing group.

Colonel Luis Mendieta, held by the FARC for nine years now, sent an alarming message to his relatives describing his daily life somewhere in the Colombian jungle, DPA reported.

"What stops me and tortures me is not body pains or the chains on my neck, but the mental agony, the evil of the bad guys and the indifference of the good guys, as if we were not worthy or did not exist," said the military officer in his letter.

Mendieta added that guerrilla troops moved him in a hammock, as he was unable to walk. According to Mendieta, French-Colombian citizen Ingrid Betancourt, who was a presidential candidate when he was kidnapped in 2002- has faced a similar situation.

"As the days passed by and we were traveling by feet in harsh conditions, some of us got ill. This was the case with Ingrid, Malagón, Guevara and me. They moved us in hammocks."

Former lawmaker Consuelo González de Perdomo, who the FARC delivered to President Hugo Chávez last January 10 together with former vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas, gave the life proofs to the hostages' relatives.

http://english.eluniversal.com/2008/01/16/en_chcol_art_hostages-proofs...

By tasco66 on Jan 16, 2008, 09:52 in Politics & the war.

elk says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:36:

Why did the FARC allow Consuelo and Clara Rojas to deliver such messages to the public?

How does the FARC benefit?

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Lowell says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:39:

Maybe it's time for the average Colombian to wake up and fight the crap. It may be time for change. Before people were powerless. Now a bit of power exists.

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jan 16, 2008, 11:57:

I find it really hard to believe that the average Colombian is "Shocked" by such details. In my experience the average Colombian knows about 10 other people who were kidnapped at some point and the conditions of captivity are well-known to all.

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bamacellist says on Jan 16, 2008, 16:15:

"How does the FARC benefit?"

Psychological terror. The same thing that got the hijackers into the cockpits of the planes on 9/11. They don't mind a bit that the world is horrified. They expect it to add urgency to the calls to negotiate, to increase its leverage in establishing the ground rules of and pre-concessions to negotiations. They know decent people don't accept this situation and find it unconscionable to be a party to this kind of atrocity and are hoping that we will do anything to avoid what might be construed as responsibility. They are hoping disgust for Farc and sympathy for the hostages will bring pressure on Colombia's government to grant things it otherwise would not. If it balks or refuses, then it (of course!) is guilty of prolonging the horror.

"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."

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Mike19 says on Jan 16, 2008, 17:43:

can't the colombian army with the help of the U.S raid and bomb these FARC people. I know its hard and might put the hostages in jeopardy but this is going on so long and talking ain't working....kick some nalgas.

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fecherklyn says on Jan 16, 2008, 18:51:

Bamacellist, your analysis makes sense to me.

"Socialism" means everything or nothing according to who is listening. In Europe, "socialism" is a cosy left-of centre notion that has been very popular for many years. Thus when most uninformed Europeans hear of the socialist struggle of the "poor" in Venezuela (or elsewhere in Latin America) they visualise somethin akin to the electoral choices they are confronted by. Of course, they have no idea of the various idealogies "socialism" can take and therefore assume Chavez's aims are aligned with what they are accustomed to.

I really cannot understand why Colombia does not explain (in words of one syllable) who Chavez's version of socialism has nothing to do with their understanding.

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