Two women freed by Colombian rebels were greeted with kisses and tears after years of captivity in the jungle, amid calls for the release of hundreds more hostages still held.
Clara Rojas and former legislator Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo landed in Caracas aboard a private jet on Thursday hours after Venezuelan helicopters plucked them from a secret location deep in the Colombian jungle.
Soon after, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez greeted the two with military honors at his presidential palace, decorated with Colombian and Venezuelan flags.
The long-anticipated release, the first of its kind in more than five years, was welcomed around the world.
"The [UN] Secretary-General welcomes the release of the two hostages that had been held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [FARC] and hopes that this gesture will lead to the speedy release of the many remaining kidnap victims," UN chief Ban Ki-moon's spokeswoman said.
In Colombia, President Alvaro Uribe expressed gratitude toward Chavez, after months of escalating tension with the leftist leader.
"I must acknowledge the process put forth by President Chavez has worked. He has obtained the unilateral and unconditional release of our countrywomen," Uribe said.
On the tarmac in Caracas, Rojas, 44, covered her 76-year-old mother in kisses and said she looked forward to being reunited with her son.
The rebels took the boy away from her when he was eight months old. He was born by cesarean section in a jungle camp in April 2004.
Rojas said she found out her son was alive and in government care on Dec. 31 when Uribe said he was not in rebel hands.
Gonzalez and her daughters Patricia and Maria Fernanda hugged and cried on the tarmac in their first reunion since her abduction in 2001. The 57-year-old former lawmaker, whose husband died while she was in captivity, also held her two-year-old granddaughter for the first time.
The two women appeared in good health, although they had been forced to walk 20 days in the jungle to the spot where they were released, Rojas said.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
LEISURE: The new law adds Confucius’ birthday, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, Constitution Day and Little New Year as national holidays The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed new legislation adding four national holidays and making Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party used their combined majority in the legislature to push the jointly proposed draft through its third and final reading. This new law supersedes the existing regulations for the implementation of memorial days and state holidays, which are administered by the Ministry of the Interior. The new law recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou on Oct. 25, Constitution Day on Dec. 25 and “Little New Year,”
RSS