Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday in Bogota and other world capitals seeking the release of captives still held by leftist rebels in the Colombian jungle.
Crowds gathered in 1,000 towns and cities all across Colombia on the country’s national day, demanding the liberation of hundreds of hostages still held by Marxist rebels following last month’s dramatic rescue of French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 others.
In Paris, Betancourt led chants of “No more hostages!” as she addressed a crowd of several thousand people who came to watch artists perform in a square across the river Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
Colombian star Juanes, Spain’s Miguel Bose and French artists Renan Luce and Michel Delpech were among the singers playing at the concert.
At Betancourt’s side was the socialist Bertrand Delanoe, who told the crowd: “Our duty is to continue fighting for the liberation of all hostages in Colombia.”
Madrid and other European cities saw smaller rallies in support of the hostages, but the main events were to be held in Latin America, with the highlight expected to be a concert in Colombia by pop star Shakira.
In Honduras, hundreds of Colombians marched down central Tegucigalpa carrying “No More Kidnappings” banners, while Internet search engine Google, which opened a new office in Bogota recently, put a white peace dove and a Colombian flag on its logo.
In Washington, thousands of people gathered outside the White House asking for the hostages’ release and US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez called on Congress to pass a pending free trade agreement with Colombia, in view of its national day.
Organizers said pro-hostage rallies were held in cities across the world: 30 in Latin America, 22 in Europe, six in Asia, 27 in the US, four in Canada and two in Australia.
Betancourt was rescued on July 2 by Colombian armed forces who said they had tricked her captors into handing her over along with three Americans and 11 other Colombian hostages.
Betancourt, 46, was abducted in 2002 by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while campaigning for the Colombian presidency.
After being reunited with her children, who live in Paris, she returned to France where her ordeal in the Colombian jungle had turned her into a cause celebre.
The rebel group continues to hold about 700 hostages. Up to 2,000 more are believed to be held by the National Liberation Army, another rebel group. Sunday’s rallies were calling for their immediate release.
The marches coincide with independence day celebrations in the southern town of Leticia, attended by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his guests, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva and Peruvian President Alan Garcia.
Shakira, Colombia’s famous pop icon, sang the national anthem before she was to launch into a concert in support of hostage liberation.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
UNREST: The authorities in Turkey arrested 13 Turkish journalists in five days, deported a BBC correspondent and on Thursday arrested a reporter from Sweden Waving flags and chanting slogans, many hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators on Saturday rallied in Istanbul, Turkey, in defence of democracy after the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu which sparked Turkey’s worst street unrest in more than a decade. Under a cloudless blue sky, vast crowds gathered in Maltepe on the Asian side of Turkey’s biggest city on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr celebration which started yesterday, marking the end of Ramadan. Ozgur Ozel, chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which organized the rally, said there were 2.2 million people in the crowd, but
RSS