Former FARC Rebels Speak Out

CHAN:
Two Colombians have quit the FARC militant organization this week. And they brought a special delivery with them. Here's more on the story.

STORY:
Facing the cameras - two FARC deserters are presented to the Colombian press.

Sitting alongside them are two hostages who escaped with the Marxist guerrillas: one a businessman the other a 14-year-old boy. They were kidnapped for ransom late last year.

The young defectors can expect to be rewarded under a government scheme which is aimed at encouraging rebels to desert by offering them cash rewards and asylum in France.

["Eduardo", FARC Defector]:
"I am very happy to be free with my friend (referring to the second rebel who defected) and the hostages. I am against kidnapping. I never liked it. I can't understand that a group that says it fights for the revolution could kidnap children and keep them in the jungle."

Desertions and the death of top leaders have severely weakened the once powerful Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The group still holds dozens of high-profile hostages and hundreds of other captives in a string of jungle camps.

Last month, the FARC announced it was going to release a group of hostages including two politicians, Alan Jara and Sigifredo Lopez.

Both men have spent more than six years in captivity.

But the hostage handover is being delayed by wrangling over who should be present at the release.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ntd
• ntdtv
• news
• FARC
• Rebels
• colombians
• militant
• organization
• Marxist
• guerrillas

[ColombianLlave]

@montrealcdn That's a link to this page.

[ColombianLlave]

@SpaceShipWarrior It is never just about one thing causing the problem, ESPECIALLY in a country like Colombia. There are so many players in this mess that to say that the problem is Uribe or AUC is dellusional. I would believe that even bigger than them or FARC is drug trafficking, so many years the US and Colombia's governments fighting this problem and it still going on? The problem runs deep and has crossed borders.

[ColombianLlave]

@SpaceShipWarrior And you know that you should not rely entirely on what wikipedia says. You gotta read more than to say that is just about fascism.

Colombians are not stupid, they have voted for politicians with different ideologies from the classic parties, they are tired of corruption. In the last elections, the Liberales and Conservadores candidates got low voting numbers.

[ColombianLlave]

@SpaceShipWarrior You should also know that former "guerrilleros" have had the opportunity to enter Colombia's politics. Antonio Navarro Wolf, a fomer leader of M-19 has held office in Congress and ran for president as well. Fomer guerrillero Gustavo Petro was a presidential candidate in the last elections even winning in some of the Colombia's areas and thinking of running again representing Polo Democratico. So it's not as if there's no chance for FARC to rejoin society.

[ColombianLlave]

@SpaceShipWarrior Sure, I remember Union Patriótica, it was sad to hear about their members dying on a weekly basis. You could definitely see the dark hand of those who were in power and who did not want to let it go. But I hope you know that FARC were also given the opportunity to leave arms during Andrés Pastrana's presidency, with plenty of international overseers and guarantees, yet, they used the peace zone to train more personnel and to continue their deals with drug dealers...

[whammy9531]

@distressed7 That's right, tell this SpaceShipWarriorMotherFucker, because he doesn't know anything about Colombia and since he's addicted to FARC, why can't he better off hang around with FARC and the terror lord Ayman Al Zawahiri. He is the sympathizer and a supporter of terrorism and I wanted to hire somebody to beat the hell out of this SSWMF fool. He (SSWMF) misspelled the Colombian ex-president's name and he came up with the name Utribe instead of Uribe.

[whammy9531]

@danna0914 I don't blame you, but supposingly that FARC must end once and for all, but unfortunately it's a never ending, because since the rebel leaders were dead from raids, then all of the sudden, others stepped in to the plate to be the next ones. Yes, you are right about this, these criminals must pay for these ferrocious, henious and atrocious crimes that they've done to every innocent Colombians out there.

[distressed7]

@libertadnow2 The US and its allies from the corporate empire it is hostage to kills and destabilizes more people and indigenous tribal people than any other power on the face of the earth. Jesus! Just look at how the U.S. was founded!!! It is the plunder and rape institution of the modern world. It called its bloodbath in the "ole west" a "Manifest Destiny". A divinely promulgated mission to establish this eyesore on the planet. It is founded in rebellion and genocide.

[distressed7]

@SpaceShipWarrior "FARC were the good guys back in the day" yeh, yeh, yeh....Spare me. 1st of all learn the origin and real meaning of "democracy". It is every man ruling over himself and it ends up in mob rule and then a strong man needs to take over to bring order. It's all over the world. The U.S. is supposed to bring in a republic and that is a government that gives a level playing field to everyone and yet respectful of market competition. If it is Legal. The left is better at it. Go figure

[whammy9531]

@SpaceShipWarrior STOP COMING UP WITH THIS B.S. ABOUT THE FORMER PRESIDENT, OKAY! FARC DOESN'T DEFEND COLOMBIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!! THEY DESTROY COLOMBIA , KIDNAP INNOCENT COLOMBIANS. SO, LIKE I SAID, DO NOT BLAME ON INNOCENT AMERICANS, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO HAVE COLOMBIAN PARENTS BORN IN COLOMBIA. DO YOU HAVE COLOMBIAN PARENTS? HAHAHAHA, I DON'T THINK SO! SO, BUTT OFF OF EVERYONE'S BUSINESS, AND BE IN COHOUTS WITH AYMAN ZAWAHIRI THE TERROR LORD AND MONO JO-JOY THE IDIOT!