Australian Hostage Released

[Americano]

Permanent Resident is more likely.  Very few foreigners want to become a Philippines Citizen and there are not many who can meet the requirements of living in the Philippines for 10 years, learning to read, write and speak one of the major languages, etc.

 

There have been several stories in the last few years of foreigners having to pay BOI late fees and fines after being released from prison. Hopefully BOI will not fine or penalize him for being a prisoner of a terrorist group, but they could say its your fault you were kidnapped for living in an area you have been warned not to visit by the Australian government.

[Bruce]

OK Fines..... Can someone be more specific? Suppose you get 1 extention but not the 2nd and then leave before the 3rd is due.

 

So what is the fine? = to the 2nd extention you did not get?

 

Then extrapolate further. You got no ententions and then left in the duration of the 9th (?) extention but before the 10 was due.... what are the fines? The total of the 9 extentions?

 

Any extra fines for taking the attitude of not getting any extenions at all just deciding to pay up when you leave (assuming you have the funds)?

[Jollygoodfellow]

As it is, he is married to a Filipina  

 

Seems to be trouble in the marital part of things.The wife claims she sold HER house?

 

Warren Rodwell 'refusing to see wife'

 

Freed Australian kidnap victim Warren Rodwell is reportedly refusing to see his Filipino wife, Miraflor Gutang.

Mr Rodwell, who married Ms Gutang shortly before his kidnapping, has reportedly banned her from seeing him despite claims she sold her house to pay his $94,000 ransom.

Ms Gutang has fled to be with her family and hasn't spoken to Mr Rodwell since he was freed by his captors on Saturday, News Ltd reports.

Mr Rodwell's Australian family has driven the campaign to free him since he was taken hostage from his Philippines home 15 months ago.

They provided the bulk of the ransom money, in a deal brokered by Al-Rasheed Sakalahul, the vice-governor of the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

Mr Rodwell's wife did not appear with an exhausted Mr Rodwell when he faced the media yesterday, saying he was 'delighted' to be free.

Mr Rodwell yesterday told the media he was very happy to be there.

"There was a great sense of helplessness and hopelessness," he told reporters.

"I'm certainly overwhelmed to know the amount of effort and compassion that has been put into this operation."

He offered "heartfelt thanks" to the Filipino and Australian governments and everyone who worked to release him from the hands of al-Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf.

He also told reporters he was getting stronger.

Earlier on Monday, his sister Denise Cappello and brother Wayne Rodwell also thanked authorities.

Ms Cappello wished the Philippine national police success in tracking down and capturing Mr Rodwell's abductors.

"We hope they are brought to justice so others don't have to experience what Warren has just been through," she said.

Wayne Rodwell said the family had held on to hope of his brother's safe release throughout his ordeal.

The family's immediate concern was for his health, as he would require medical support, along with time and space to recover, he said.

The pair thanked Al-Rasheed Sakkalahul, vice-governor of the Philippine island province of Basilan, saying that without his help Warren would not be free.

 

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/16453679/warren-rodwell-refusing-to-see-wife

[Jollygoodfellow]

But wait, theres more
 

Ms Gutang, who was separated from Mr Rodwell before he was kidnapped in 2011, has told journalists her family sold their house and other property to pay a $93,600 ransom to the ruthless al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
But sources say that since Ms Gutang made the claim it has emerged that some of the money came through Mr Rodwell's Australian family.

 

Weeks before five gunmen posing as policemen kidnapped Mr Rodwell from his house in the seaside town of Ipil on Mindanao island, Ms Gutang had made two complaints of abuse against the former Australian army officer.
However, she played a key role in obtaining Mr Rodwell's release.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/philippines-dismayed-at-rodwell-payment-20130327-2gtfc.html#ixzz2OiiryrSb

 

 

 

http://www.theage.com.au/world/philippines-dismayed-at-rodwell-payment-20130327-2gtfc.html

[Adventurer]

why is it that the wife always have question marks with these kidnapping and murders in most of the cases?

 

I have to admit some of the guys I have seen there have their heads in the clouds along with the rose colored glasses on. Sometimes I can walk past a couple and take a glance at the female, then look at the guy and think another one getting scammed and maybe they deserved it for been so blind and idiots :)

[Americano]

"Ms Gutang, who was separated from Mr Rodwell before he was kidnapped in 2011."

 

The couple separated and then he was conveniently kidnapped. Why wasn't he kidnapped before they separated?

 

And, who really raised the ransom money?

 

The plot thickens and its beginning to not look too good for the wife.

[i am bob]

I don't have the references with me right now but it appears the wife did sell the house, put the money into the ransom amount but if she put it all in, we do not know yet.  I believe she probably did because, when you think of it, how many houses in the Philippines are worth that much?  Not many in the area where the house was located.  You can count the number on your hands behind your back. ( Exactly.)  So money must have come from both the Philippines and Australia.  And it appears the families were working together on this as it was the wife's cousin who delivered the ransom...  Oh, wait, that one could go either way.  Anyway, I think and believe the wife was innocent in this.  When he refused to see his wife?  I think just a little time and learning what went on for each other during the time spent kidnapped might make a difference.  I remember when I was laid up once...  I didn't want to see my wife either...  Oh, wait!  That would be the one I'm divorced from!  

 

:unsure:

[bootleultras]

Just read an interesting article on this subject.

http://www.news.com.au/national-news/freed-hostage-warren-rodwell-kidnapped-after-love-took-him-to-philippine-region-of-mindanao/story-fncynjr2-1226609494451

Australian Warren Rodwell said he was overwhelmed, happy and thankful at finally being free after 15 months as a hostage of Islamic militants in the southern Philippines. Picture: Noel Celis/AFP

AFTER a decade wandering the world, Warren Rodwell could never have imagined that it would be love that brought him unstuck.

The former ADF soldier and self-professed "world nomad" had travelled through Mongolia, Uruguay, Thailand, Czech Republic, Cambodia, Chile and Argentina.

He had spent years teaching English in China, Japan and Korea.

A personal website and Twitter account kept his limited followers updated on his adventures, which ranged from teaching at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics and working at the Inner Mongolia Medical College.

Not shy of spruiking himself, he listed "world travel, business, English, diverse cultures, public speaking, writing, computers” among his many specialties.

But it was in the Philippines where he appeared to have finally settled down.

Like many 50-something Australian men, Mr Rodwell looked online and abroad for love, a search that led him to petite Filipina Miraflor Gutang, 25 years his junior.

After a whirlwind romance, Mr Rodwell packed up his things and travelled to Mindanao, one of the most dangerous places in the world for westerners.

DFAT has a consistent red warning on the region, warning of a "very high threat of terrorist attack, kidnapping, violent crime and violent clashes between armed groups".

Mr Rodwell, who has an ex-wife and grown children in Australia, ignored the advice and decided to marry his young bride in June, 2011.

Whether he appreciated it or not he was immediately a beacon for kidnappers. A white face in a sea of local fishermen.

Only six months into the marriage, Mr Rodwell was relaxing at his new home near the seaside town of Ipil when he was ambushed by armed terrorists dressed as police officers and taken hostage.

He was now locked in the fight of his life, the price on his head - $US2 million.

Even though the circumstances were desperate, nothing in the Philippines happens swiftly. There is negotiation, and then there is some more negotiation followed by further negotiation.

The Australian embassy and DFAT immediately slapped a black-ban on the case, refusing to update media on even the smallest of developments.

However, it had been determined that unless a ransom was paid it was unlikely that Mr Rodwell would survive or be released.

An extraction exercise by the military or police had been ruled out.

During his ordeal, Mr Rodwell's captors moved him from island to island to elude pursuit. He was not shackled or caged but was always closely watched by the gunmen.

And he grew thinner every day.

Nine days before Christmas a tired and gaunt Mr Rodwell appeared in a grainy You Tube video clip, sandwiched between the piano-playing cats and homemade music videos, telling the world that after a year in captivity he held no hopes of rescue.

"I personally hold no hope at all for being released,'' he said. "I do not trust Abu Sayyaf. I do not trust the Australian Government. I just don't trust anyone.

"Personally, I don't care."

Kidnapped Australian Warren Rodwell as he appeared in a video released to YouTube.

Like hundreds of post-2001 kidnap victims before him, his face was streamed online to an audience of millions. The intention of groups like Abu Sayyaf is to milk victims for everything they've got. Threaten more pain if it drives up the value of their living leverage.

A 15-month battle to stay alive under constant threat of beheading and firing squad had left the 54-year-old near breaking point although family members said his childhood in the NSW country town of Tamworth and subsequent time in the army meant he would not crack easily.

"He had a tough upbringing and his military training would have equipped him with determination and resilience,” his cousin Susan told local journalists.

“We are all hopeful that those qualities will in some way wear down his captors.”

It was about four weeks ago, things suddenly began to move quickly.

Mr Rodwell's wife, who had initially declared she could not pay any ransom, and her cousin were chosen to negotiate with the abductors. The majority of cash would be stumped by Mr Rodwell's Australian-based family including his sister Denise and brother Wayne. But the abductors didn't need to know that.

Warren Rodwell sits next to Philippine police superintendent Jilius Munez ® at the police station in Pagadian City in southern island of Mindanao shortly after his release. Picture: Jong Cadion/AFP

Mild-mannered local politician Vice Governor Al-Rasheed Sakkalahul - who helped broker the heavily marked down ransom price of $94,000 - said the cash transaction was kept as simple as possible.

"It was in a bag. A bag was filled with cash and dropped off to them. As simple as that," Mr Sakkalahul said.

Last weekend, in the early hours of the morning, Mr Rodwell was placed in a small boat and told to paddle to shore.

He was dehydrated, emaciated and weak, but continued on into the darkness.

When Pagadian wharf workers initially spotted Mr Rodwell, they thought he was a lost tourist. The exhausted expat managed to mutter back: "I'm not a tourist, I am a kidnap victim. Please help me."

Mr Rodwell, who was transported to a military base before being flown to Manila to recuperate, intriguingly decided against a reunion with his Filipino wife.

Local media reported that the couple had separated in the weeks leading up to the kidnapping after a series of arguments.

DFAT and Mr Rodwell would not comment on the issue, although officials confirmed Ms Gutang had certainly put herself in danger to save her husband.

Local journalists who spent time with Ms Gutang last weekend said she had been full of joy at the prospect of a reunion.

When she was turned away from the army base where Mr Rodwell was being temporarily held, she shut down her mobile phone and fled.

It appears the Australian wanderer had only one thing on his mind – getting back home.

Edited April 1, 2013 by bootleultras

[Mike S]

Local journalists who spent time with Ms Gutang last weekend said she had been full of joy at the prospect of a reunion. When she was turned away from the army base where Mr Rodwell was being temporarily held, she shut down her mobile phone and fled.

 

Yea sure and that makes about as much sense as t*ts on a bull ...... there is a lot more to this story than is being told ...... it will come out later ..... :tiphat: :cheersty:

Edited April 1, 2013 by Mike S