Tearful reunion after Colombia captivity kept family apart for 6 years
Associated Press Jul 3, 08 2:44 PM CDT
(AP)
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The children of Ingrid Betancourt embraced their mother for the first time in 6 years today in a tear-drenched airport welcome, a day after the former presidential candidate was freed from rebel captivity by Colombia's government. "Nirvana, paradise—that must be very similar to what I feel at this moment," Betancourt told reporters as she fought back tears, her son bending over to kiss her and her daughter clinging tightly to her arm.
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UPDATED
Contractors flown to medical centers for tests, reunions
CNN Jul 3, 08 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Three American hostages are back on US soil today for the first time in five years, CNN reports, after a late-night landing at an Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas. The men were taken to an Army medical center, where, after undergoing tests and debriefings, they are expected to be reunited with their families.
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Freed hostage praises 'perfect' operation, still wants to be president
BBC Jul 3, 08 9:17 AM CDT
(Newser)
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For Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian politician freed after more than 6 years in captivity, her release yesterday was a “miracle.” Colombian soldiers, posing as NGO officials, tricked FARC rebels and rescued Betancourt and 14 other hostages without gunfire. “There is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation,” said Betancourt, whose liberation deals a major blow to FARC, the BBC says.
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Three men expected to arrive in Texas after Colombian ordeal
McClatchy Newspapers Jul 2, 08 9:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The families of three military contractors captured by Colombian rebels more than five years ago had no inkling they were about to be freed, McClatchy Newspapers reports. "It's a miracle today," said Amanda Howes, niece of Thomas Howes. Her uncle and his fellow former captives, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell, were expected to arrive at a military base tonight in Texas.
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Betancourt reunited with family; US contractors on their way home
Washington Post Jul 2, 08 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Ingrid Betancourt embraced her family today after six years of captivity in the Colombian jungle, the Washington Post reports. "Mom, you don't have to cry anymore," said Betancourt, one of 15 hostages freed from FARC rebels. "This is a miracle." Betancourt appeared thin but healthy at a Bogota military base and wore an ever-present smile. Meanwhile, three US contractors kidnapped in 2003 were on way their back to the US tonight.
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Betancourt, others freed by soldiers posing as aid workers
Reuters Jul 2, 08 5:49 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A simple ruse led to the freedom of the high-profile hostages held for years by Colombia's FARC rebels, Reuters reports. Government soldiers duped guerrillas into believing they were humanitarian aid workers and offered to fly the hostages from their jungle hideaway to meet with FARC boss Alfonso Cano. Instead, they flew Ingrid Betancourt, three US military contractors and 11 others to freedom.
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Lindner's Chiquita also trafficked in arms
Huffington Post Jul 2, 08 4:40 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A billionaire who co-hosted a $2 million party for John McCain last week paid almost as much to a Colombian paramilitary group through his former company, the Huffington Post reports. Under Carl Lindner, Chiquita funneled $1.7 million to AUC, a group the US deems a terrorist organization—and one watchdog ties “to many of the country’s most notorious civilian massacres."
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Colombia claims to have rescued 15
Associated Press Jul 2, 08 2:59 PM CDT
(AP)
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Colombia's military has freed 15 hostages—including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three US contractors—from Maoist rebel group FARC, the AP reports. Colombia's defense minister announced the rescue today, saying that army commandos captured rebels manning a security ring around the hostages and got them to persuade their comrades to turn over the captives, without any loss of life. The minister says the other 11 hostages freed were Colombian soldiers and police.
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GLOSSIES
But Venezuelan leader receives steadying advice from Castro
New Yorker Jun 23, 08 3:25 AM CDT
(Newser)
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With the US distracted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been busy amassing a Latin American power bloc to blunt Washington’s influence. But the firebrand leader, who calls President Bush “the devil” and the US “the empire,” is receiving level-headed advice from none other than Fidel Castro, writes Jon Lee Anderson in a New Yorker profile.
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Medellin, Colombia, replaces crime with safety and security
Miami Herald Jun 10, 08 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Once the world's most dangerous city, Medellin, Colombia, is now a relatively safe and culturally vibrant haven for its 2.1 million residents. In 1991, Medellin recorded 6,349 homicides, or nearly 18 per day; today, thanks to improved security under the administration of president Alvaro Uribe, the rate is barely 2 a day, reports the Miami Herald .
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ANALYSIS
Colombia's new reality will put dogmatic FARC head Cano to test
Washington Post Jun 9, 08 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Though Alfonso Cano, the new commander of Colombia’s FARC rebels, is a bookish intellectual, don’t expect a new push towards government negotiations, sources tell the Washington Post. Cano, who turned to Marx in college after a middle-class upbringing, would be uniquely suited to push peaceful political action—but in its weakened state, the FARC needs its leader to show strength.
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As international cause, Colombian hostage is valuable to rebels
Wall Street Journal Jun 7, 08 12:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The daughter of a beauty queen and a diplomat who once enjoyed a charmed existence in fashionable Parisian quarters, Ingrid Betancourt is now a hostage in a Colombian jungle who is sometimes chained by the neck to a tree. The Wall Street Journal profiles the plight of the former Colombian presidential candidate, who was kidnapped in 2002 by rebels.
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ANALYSIS
Key link to past now dead, and Colombia's efforts at last paying off against rebels
Economist May 29, 08 10:14 PM CDT
(Newser)
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FARC chief Manuel Marulanda’s death might not be a fatal blow to Colombia's Marxist rebels, but the Economist sees an organization on the way out anyway. In its mid-'90s heyday, FARC boasted a force of 19,000 soldiers that threatened Bogota, the capital; today, the group is fragmented, with perhaps 9,000 troops, thanks to the strong-arm policies of president Alvaro Uribe.
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Rumble killed 11 and wounded 54; 5,000 face damaged buildings
Reuters May 26, 08 5:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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After Saturday’s 5.6-magnitude quake which sparked landslides, hundreds of Colombians gathered in temporary shelters yesterday, reluctant to return home for fear of further shake-ups, Reuters reports. Colombia’s Red Cross reported 11 deaths and 54 injuries, with some 5,000 facing damaged homes and other buildings. President Alvaro Uribe visited the hard-hit area.
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