Hi Chatters, Calbirders and Tweeters,

Again, this is a story from CNN and Reuters who stayed on top of this story
throughout. If you want to go to the CNN website for news the URL is
http://www.cnn.com

U.S. Hostages Recall Colombia Kidnap Ordeal

Reuters
26-APR-98
By Karl Penhaul

LOS ALPES, Colombia, April 26 (Reuters) - By day U.S. hostages Todd Mark and
Peter Shen were taken on forced marches across the inhospitable mountain
region of central Colombia. By night they were handcuffed by their rebel
captors to prevent escape.

The pair, the last of four U.S. bird-watchers to be freed by Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas after more than one month in
captivity, had been warned they would be killed if they made a bolt for
freedom.

Shen, 35, a research scientist from New York, and Mark, 32, a flight assistant
from Houston, were both looking forward to returning to their families after
their release on Saturday afternoon. Both said they would need time to recover
from the trauma.

``We were handcuffed at night, but we didn't know why because we were not
going to attempt to escape because we had no idea of where to go or where to
run,'' Shen told Reuters as he made his way to freedom along a steep track
behind the village of Los Alpes in mountains east of Bogota.

``It was always understood that if we tried to escape our lives would be
threatened.''

The four Americans were snatched about 35 miles (50 km) east of Bogota on
March 23. One of them, Louise Augustine, from Chillicothe, Illinois --
released on Friday -- was badly injured when she plunged some 120 feet (40
metres) into a river two weeks after being captured.

But Mark and Shen found their outdoor hobby had kept them in shape and enabled
them to keep pace with their captors during day-long hikes through this region
of deep gorges and knife-edge precipices.

Despite the risk of death, one of the four, Thomas Fiori, a bicycle repairman
from New York, escaped in early April. The FARC, in what now seems to have
been a face-saving gesture, said they had freed him as a ``goodwill gesture.''

``Tom did escape. I'm not sure when he planned it, he didn't talk to us about
it,'' Shen said.

``We were afraid that he had been killed. But he did the right thing because
anybody who could have got away should have done so and he didn't in any way
risk our lives.''

During the long hours of captivity, Mark said he listened to young FARC rebels
explain their political views. He in turn gave them impromptu lectures on
local birdlife, gleaned from several trips to Colombia.

``They got bored pretty quick,'' Mark admitted. ``They just couldn't get it
into their heads that we weren't receiving any money for looking at birds.''

Minutes after Shen and Mark bade farewell to their captors, the mountains
around Los Alpes erupted in heavy fighting between the rebels and a crack army
counterinsurgency unit. Heavy machine-gun fire rang out and the thud of mortar
bombs echoed across the valleys.

Shen and Mark said they were looking forward to celebrating freedom with a
``beer and a shower.''

``I don't know what the longer term effects will be. I'm kind of new to
this,'' Mark said.

``I just want to get back to the work routine and make up for lost time with
my family,'' Shen said. ``It will take time to recover from this situation.''

Shen and Mark were flown by the Red Cross to Bogota from the nearby regional
capital of Villavicencio in eastern Meta province and were expected to leave
on Sunday or Monday for the United States.

Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited.All rights reserved.

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 26, 1998
12:04 pm PDT