Hi Tweeters,

The follow was posted on Birdchat today. If you go to the CNN website at
www.cnn.com and search with Colombia and kidnapping you maybe able to find
some of the stories which they have been reporting over the last several
weeks. It is the families wishes that public discussions about the kidnapping
be restricted to news stories from legitimate news sources until everybody is
home.

Colombia Rebels Free American Woman

Filed at 3:11 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

LOS ALPES, Colombia (AP) -- Leftist rebels released an ailing American
woman after a month's captivity, but still hold two of her colleagues --
Americans who were grabbed while on a bird-watching tour.

Louise Augustine, a 63-year-old former nun and retired teacher from
Chillicothe, Ill., was turned over by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, or FARC, near this remote town 60 miles southeast of the capital,
said Carlos Batallas, an International Red Cross representative.

Augustine was in good condition despite a fall during her captivity in which
she injured her ribs, Batallas said.

Vito Candela, an Italian held with her in the rugged jungles south of the
capital before being released April 15, said Augustine broke her ribs and hurt
her hip in the fall.

FARC rebels are still holding Peter Shen of New York City and Todd Mark,
a 32-year-old Continental Airlines flight attendant. The group was taken
captive on March 23 at a rebel roadblock.

A fourth bird-watcher, Thomas Fiore of New York, was found April 2 by a
television crew doing a report on the abductions. He says he escaped, but
rebels insist they let him go.

It was not clear when Augustine would return to the United States.

FARC is the largest of several rebel bands fighting the government since
the 1960s. In recent years, rebels have turned to kidnapping, extortion, and
working for drug traffickers to finance their insurgency.

Foreigners are prize targets because they often fetch higher ransoms. It
was not clear if a ransom was paid for Augustine.>>>

Copyrighted AP


Great birding and find that next lifer!

John (One of Birders2)
John+Irma=2, We are birders, too.

John C. LeVine
Birders2 at aol.com
Los Angeles, CA

Please put <To Birders2> in subject line when e-mailing us personally. I do
not open all of the 200-300 e-mails I receive each day, but I want to be sure
to read your e-mails to us. Thanks!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The problem with Modern Man is he can no longer
see the stars through his city lights!

A thought on a moonless night in Big Bend National Park 4/30/97


April 24, 1998
1:57 pm PDT