Hi Chatters,

This was picked up from CCN website: It is copyrigthed by CCN and Reuters.
CCN website info:
http://customnews.cnn.com/cnews/pna.show_story?p_art_id=2446493&p_section_name
=On+Target&p_art_type=199957

Reuters
28-MAR-98


BOGOTA, March 28 (Reuters) - Leftist rebels threatened on Saturday to kill
four Americans kidnapped in central Colombia last Monday, if they prove to
have links with U.S. intelligence agencies. ``(If these people prove to be
U.S. military agents) revolutionary justice will probably be applied to
them...they will be killed,'' guerrilla commander ``Romana, head of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 53rd Front, which is holding the
Americans, told the NTC television news program.

``If these people do not have anything to do with military intelligence, then
we will demand a ransom for them,'' he added in the brief interview near the
village of El Calvario in the mountains about 35 miles (50 km) east of the
capital.

The (U.S.) State Department has confirmed the four Americans were being held
by the FARC, saying they were on a bird-watching trip in Colombia.

The Americans were seized at a rebel roadblock on the main highway that leads
east from Bogota to the town of Villavicencio.

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota has declined to name the kidnap victims, but
Colombian media identified them as Peter James Chen, Todd Mark, Thomas Fiore
and Louise Agustine.

The army said they were taken along with up to 26 Colombians and an Italian,
identified as Vito Candela, as troops moved in to dislodge the rebels. Nine of
the Colombian hostages were released on Friday.

The threat to kill the Americans came two weeks after the sub-commander of the
FARC's feared Southern Bloc division, Fabian Ramirez, told Reuters that all
U.S. advisers in Colombia would be considered military targets.

The FARC accuses U.S. advisers sent to help in the war against drugs of
providing counterinsurgency training and assistance to the Colombian military.

The State Department on Friday stepped up its travel advisory for Colombia,
warned U.S. citizens against any unnecessary travel to the Andean nation.

Colombian Defense Minister Gilberto Echeverri said the advisory was
``completely uncalled for.''

Also on Saturday, Bolivian authorities released the FARC's international
spokesman, known as Marco Leon Calarca, three days after arresting him in La
Paz.

Calarca returned immediately to Mexico City where he heads a small team of
FARC activists who are trying to boost the rebel force's international image.

The FARC and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN), both founded in the
mid-1960s, are Latin America's oldest and largest guerrilla armies with a
combined combat force believed to be about 15,000.

Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited.All rights reserved.

My words are lost in my thoughts, so no comment.

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!


March 28, 1998
11:43 pm PDT