Colombia’s defense minister rejected guerrilla group FARC Thursday following the release of four hostages in the south.
“After announcing…that they did not have a single kidnapped hostage, today we can confirm that the FARC handed over to the Red Cross four Chinese citizens who were held hostage since June last year,” said Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon Thursday.
Pinzon’s comments came after four hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Los Pozos, in the southern department of Caqueta, late on Wednesday. Chinese citizens Zhau Hong, Yang Jing, Tang Guo Fu and their translator were captured on June 8, 2011 while working for Emerald Energy.
Pinzon took the opportunity to point out that FARC has continued to detain hostages months after they claimed they had ended the practise of kidnapping. “Today the FARC again showed their true colors. It is a lying and treacherous organization,” claimed Pinzon.
He added, “FARC have no respect for the Colombian people…[they] compulsively mislead and later have to admit their deception with a straight face.”
FARC representative Mauricio Jaramillo had previously said that the guerrillas had been ordered by the late supreme leader “Alfonso Cano” to cease all kidnappings and leave their “retained” free.