Will Japan Yield to Terrorist Demands?

[jimmy p]

Just read this on Freeserve...



Japan PM denounces terror threat


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Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi has denounced terrorist threats to burn alive three hostages as "cowardly".

And he has vowed troops will stay in Iraq despite tearful pleas from the captives' families to bow to the gunmen's demands.

"We want to do everything we can to see that he comes home," said Naoko Imai, whose 18-year-old son, Noriaki, was among the captives. "I want the government to pull the troops out."

But as the drama unfolded and tested Japan's commitment to the US-led coalition, there was little Koizumi could do except remain defiant.

"We cannot give into the cowardly threats of terrorists," he said. "Right now what we need to do is gather accurate information and bring them home safely."

Television networks repeatedly aired dramatic video footage of the two aid workers Imai and Nahoko Takato, 34, and photojournalist Soichiro Koriyama, 32.

Koizumi called an emergency meeting of his Cabinet and created a task force to co-ordinate a response.

He also ordered a senior foreign ministry official to co-ordinate rescue efforts from Jordan. The prime minister is expected to make a strong request for help from the United States when vice president Dick Cheney visits this weekend.

Officials acknowledged, however, that they had few other options.

Yasuo Fukuda, the Cabinet's chief spokesman and head of the emergency task force, confirmed the government had "absolutely no contact" with the hostage-takers, a previously unknown group calling itself the "Mujahideen Squadrons". He stressed that accepting the withdrawal demand was not under consideration.

 

[jimmy p]

well, the deadline was today/yesterday, and I am relieved and glad to say that some Muslim clerics persuaded the terrorists to let the hostages go.

 

[The_Professional]

Well, it is the policy of most nations not to bow down to terrorists demands. If kidnapping is politically motivated then it is very, very difficult to negotiate the hostages. The kidnappers demands are usually vague and involve different types of government. If it's for financial gain then it's much simpler. Look at what happened to Daniel Pearl, the kidnappers did not demand any ransom money, it was purely for political reasons. They wanted to make a point.

 

[Tsu]

I know they promised to let them go, but I just heard on CNN that they still had not been released. They also have an American whom they are promising to treat even worse than the four contractors (whose car was bombed?/burned and the remains dragged through the streets). They let a guy from England go, but the may have seven Chinese people. It's sure getting uglier over there.

 

[member 5645]

Bravo Japan. Glad to see they have not gone gutless.


And yes, before someone hops on me about it, I would prefer my country not be shamed,or a precident set, and even think about pulling troops out for me and 2 others. Let me die, but don't allow those that did it to go unpunished.