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Peru rebels dig in with remaining 140 hostages

225 captives let go as 'Christmas gesture'

December 23, 1996
Web posted at: 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT)

In this story:

LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Peruvian rebels showed no signs Monday that they would give in to government demands and free 140 remaining hostages being held for a sixth day. Late Sunday, 225 other captives were released from the Japanese embassy residence taken over by Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement rebels last Tuesday.

A L S O :
Japan on edge over remaining hostages
Deep differences between government and rebels

Those released included the ambassadors of Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Venezuela and Cuba, as well as diplomats from Bolivia, the European Union, the United Nations, Britain, Spain, Germany and the United States.

Water, electricity and phone services to the building remained disconnected Monday.

Happy ex-hostages

Released hostages

Looking tired but elated, the released men waved to cameras and made victory signs before being whisked away in buses to a police hospital for routine medical checks. "They have treated us well. Everything was very calm," said one man, his face unshaven during his five days of captivity.

"Daddy, Daddy!" shouted one young Asian girl as she recognized her father in one of the buses.

Released hostage Juergen Steinkrueger, Germany's deputy ambassador to Peru, said the entire episode was very unpleasant because of the lack of food, water and electricity.

"I'm going to get a bath," Estuardo Marrou, a business professor at Lima's Pacific University, said shortly after his release. "We're going to sleep all day."

Deadlock remains

The guerrillas said they freed the non-government hostages as a "Christmas gesture." But a rebel statement warned the remaining captives would not be released unless the government set free about 300 jailed comrades.

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has rejected the demand. But he told the rebels on Saturday he would rule out force provided they laid down arms and freed all hostages.

About 170 hostages, including all of the women, were freed early in the crisis and 38 more were released Friday.

'What you would see in a Rambo movie'

Gleiser

The rebels are well-armed with hand grenades, machine guns and knives, said released hostage Samuel Gleiser. "(It's) what you would see in a Rambo movie," the Peruvian businessman told CNN's Susan Candiotti early Monday in the first live television interview after the massive hostage release.

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    An attempt to rescue hostages by force would be "insane," said Alejandro Toledo, a hostage who was freed on Friday night. Toledo said rebels are "armed to the teeth."

    "The rooms are mined. The roof is mined," he said.

    Gleiser described cramped conditions inside the Japanese ambassador's residence and said it was obvious the 15 or so rebels could not continue to handle logistics for so many hostages. But, he added, none of the hostages were harmed. icon (148K/14 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

    He said rebel leader Nestor Cerpa spoke frequently of wanting the Tupac Amaru to have elected representatives in Peru's legislature.

    Toledo said rebels also want an amnesty that would allow its members to participate in public life, as has happened in various Latin America countries including Guatemala, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela.

    Correspondent Susan Candiotti in Lima and Reuters contributed to this report.

     
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