Chinese consul confident about captive’s release

The consul general of the Chinese Embassy is confident that a Chinese engineer still being held captive by the so-called "Pentagon" kidnapping syndicate in Ma—guindanao, will be safely released soon.

Tong Xiaoling, deputy chief of mission, said captive Zhang Zhung Yi will be freed even without them requesting the Arroyo government to seek the help of Libyan Ambassador Salem Adam.

Tong said they have not asked Adam to intervene in the negotiations for Zhang’s release.

"If he (Adam) is asked for help by the Philippine government, I think he has his own means to intervene," Tong said.

Asked if the abduction will be brought up during President Arroyo’s upcoming visit to mainland China, the consul general said that will depend on whether Zhang is free or still detained by that time.

Meanwhile, Presidential Assistant for Special Concerns Norberto Gonzales dismissed yesterday as "impossible" the grant of "immunity from suit" to members of the Pentagon group, now bargaining for such a concession in exchange for Zhang’s release.

Gonzalez and Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, secretary-general of the Moro National Liberation Front, succeeded in persuading Alonto’s group to release Edwin Lim, Zhang’s interpreter, after a month-long captivity, last week.

The duo, along with two other Chinese, Wang Sheng-li and Xue Xing, were abducted in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat last August while about to pay the Pentagon group a P5-million ransom in exchange for the release of Zhang’s older brother, Zhang Zhung Quiang.

The older Zhang, operations manager of the Chinese contractor of the P3.4-billion Malitubog-Maridagao irrigation project in Carmen, North Cotabato, was gunned down, along with Xing, by their captors during a chance encounter with soldiers on Aug. 12 in Barangay Upper Bunawan, Columbio town.

The Pentagon, intelligence sources said, has asked for "immunity from suit" and a P10-million ransom in exchange for the release of Zhang Zhung Yi.