AS EFFORTS continued yesterday to secure the release of Fr Michael Sinnott in the southern Philippines, an authority on kidnappings in the region said she believed that strong representations are being made behind the scenes and that the missionary’s chances remain good.
“It seems quiet to us, but you can be sure that it is highly likely that there is a lot going on. There are channels operating that no one will ever know about,” said Jean Harrington, the author of a forthcoming book The Mission, about Fr Sinnott’s fellow Columbans who were abducted, Des Hartford and Rufus Halley.
Fr Hartford was kidnapped for 12 days in 1997 in Mindanao in what appeared to be a politically motivated act, while Fr Halley was shot dead in 2001 when he apparently tried to resist his abductors.
The kidnappers of Fr Sinnott released a video this weekend in which the 79-year-old missionary said his captors were demanding $2 million (€1.35 million) in exchange for his freedom.
“I would think that Fr Sinnott’s chances are quite good, based on previous kidnappings, and the fact that he is still alive. There have been a huge amount of missionaries taken, and one or two murdered, but in this case the danger is probably past, unless there is a rescue attempt,” said Ms Harrington.
However, the problem remains that Fr Sinnott is probably being held in the open, which is relatively easy for his abductors who are used to the environment. However, the heat, the mosquitoes and the exposure would be hard on the health of an elderly man who had heart surgery four years ago.
During a visit to Mindanao in 2005 Ms Harrington met a Muslim businessman who made contact with the negotiators behind the release of Fr Hartford. She is probably the only Irish person to have met one of these elusive intermediaries who quietly go about the business of rescuing those on the wrong side of a separatist war in Mindanao.
One of the problems facing the Columbans and other friends of Fr Sinnott is that they have very little knowledge about what is going on in terms of negotiations, because the taskforce charged with rescuing the priest is composed of high-level government and security officials. Fr Sinnott is a well-known figure in the community, on both Christian and Muslim sides, and there is a strong likelihood that local Muslim religious and business leaders are making representations on his behalf.
Authorities believe the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front is behind the abduction, although it has denied this and said it was willing to help troops track down the kidnappers and recover the priest. The huge degree of mistrust between the Philippine military and the separatist group means it is difficult to establish the truth.
It is only possible to speculate on an outcome, and both the government and Columbans are officially forbidden to pay a ransom. However, based on previous kidnappings, such as the case in Sudan of the Irish aid worker Sharon Commins, it is possible that some kind of face-saving solution will be found, where the kidnappers’ “expenses” would be paid through some third party or intermediaries.
This sum is not likely to be anything near the amount being sought by the kidnappers.
Yesterday Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the Government was hopeful that contacts being developed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will help to influence the kidnappers of Fr Sinnott to release him.
Singapore-based Irish ambassador, Dick O’Brien travelled to the Philippines soon after Fr Sinnott was kidnapped and he has developed very good relationships with the government of the Philippines, he said. “I’ve been on to the foreign minister there and the government there have established a crisis management committee and indeed a taskforce involving both army and police and the church as well down in the location to oversee the task of trying to rescue Fr Sinnott, Mr Martin added.