Gunmen snatch Pinoy nurses from hospital in Libya, says priest

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino priest said today that at least 10 Filipino nurses were snatched by armed men in the city of Misrata in Libya, where dozens of people were wounded following an assault by Moammar Gadhafi's forces.

Father Allan Asebuche, a Filipino Catholic priest in Tripoli, said that the nurses were taken by armed men from their quarters and then moved five kilometers away from the hospital, near the port area in Misrata.

Asebuche said they are not sure if the Filipino nurses were taken to treat the wounded comrades of the armed men or if they are being used as human shields. He said they are also not sure if the nurses were taken by pro- or anti-Gadhafi forces.

He said that the information was relayed to them by wounded "military men" who were being treated at the hospital where the Filipino nurses are working.

"Yes, military [men] who were injured and brought to the hospital. They talked about this concern with other Filipino nurses, and they are worried about the situation of our brothers and sisters there," Asebuche said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.

The priest said that after being informed of the case, the Philippine labor attaché in Tripoli immediately went to Misrata, but was not allowed to enter the "restricted" city.

He said that the communication between the Filipinos trapped in Misrata and Philippine representatives in Libya has been cut.

He added that there are at least 50 more Filipinos still inside Misrata, including 20 professors, at least 15 Filipino nurses and 20 construction workers.

Verify report, DFA urged

Migrante International, a group of overseas Filipino workers, today asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to verify the report.

The group's chairperson, Garry Martinez, said that based on information they received from a source who requested anonymity, the nurses were being used as human shields.

He said that according to the source, the nurses were taken in time for the attack launched by Gadhafi forces in Misrata. He said the nurses were taken 20 days ago.

Martinez said that it’s impossible for Philippine embassy people in Libya not to be aware of the incident since it was released "in some Arab news outlets in Arabic."

"We are very concerned with this news. We demand that the DFA immediately give an update on the status and well-being of Filipinos who are still in Libya. If this news is true, the DFA has the responsibility to inform the families and update the public on what measures the government is taking to ensure their safety," he said.

Meanwhile, Martinez belied the DFA's announcement that the Filipinos who were left behind in Libya refused the government's repatriation offer.

He said that "contrary to DFA's statements" the Filipinos "cannot leave because they are trapped there."

Martinez also said that there are at least 3,000 to 4,000 Filipinos, not 2,000 as claimed by the DFA, still trapped in critical areas in Libya. He added that at least 15,000 Filipinos are in the war-torn country.