Colombia rebels kidnap Japanese businessman

CNN
October 27, 1998

Colombia rebels kidnap Japanese businessman

                  BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) -- A Japanese businessman, thought to be
                  involved in coffee and emerald dealing, has been kidnapped by Marxist
                  guerrillas in central Colombia, authorities said on Monday.

                  Ruben Dario Ramirez, head of the government's anti-kidnapping office, said
                  Shimura Shoro, 69, who has lived in Colombia since 1995, was abducted
                  from his farm about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of Bogota on Sept. 22.

                  The kidnapping, which Ramirez's office said was carried out by
                  Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, was only
                  confirmed on Monday.

The Japanese Embassy in Bogota confirmed the kidnapping but would not
give details about the abducted Japanese citizen.

                  At least 11 foreigners, including a Canadian, a German, two Italians and a
                  French woman, are being held hostage in Colombia, according to Ramirez's
                  office.

Authorities say 954 people have been reported kidnapped since the start of
this year.

                  The FARC and the Cuban-inspired National Liberation Army (ELN), the
                  oldest and largest guerrilla groups in the hemisphere, have long used ransom
                  payments from kidnappings to bankroll their long-running war against the
                  Colombian state.

A spokesman for the government's anti-kidnapping office said guerrillas
were responsible for about half the abductions.

                  But the actual kidnapping figures may be much higher, according to Pais
                  Libre, an independent watchdog group that offers counselling for kidnap
                  victims and their families.

It said that in the first eight months of this year, 1,577 people were
kidnapped, including 27 foreigners.