BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombia broke its own world record
                  for kidnappings last year with nearly 3,000 reported abductions, a private
                  watchdog group reported Friday.

                  Dramatic mass abductions by leftist guerrillas contributed to a 33 percent
                  increase in kidnappings, according to the Pais Libre foundation. The 2,945
                  cases in 1999 compares to 2,216 the year before.

                  The surge in abductions helped spawn a citizen-based peace movement.

                  Half of the year's kidnappings were carried out by leftist rebels. Common
                  criminal gangs were the second biggest culprits.

                  The guerillas, who often snare their victims at highway roadblocks, have
                  turned to ransom as a way to finance their armed struggle.

                  The highest number of rebel abductions were attributed to Colombia's
                  largest guerrilla band, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or
                  FARC.

                  But the year's most spectacular kidnappings were carried out by the smaller
                  National Liberation Army, or ELN.

                  In April, the group hijacked an Avianca airliner and abducted all 41 people
                  aboard. One month later, ELN commandos raided a Catholic mass and
                  trucked more than a hundred faithful into the mountains.

                    Copyright 2000 The Associated Press.