Reply #5: Which Contractors are Hostage now?

[MrPrax]

Pinoys confined to Iraq air base

By Jowie F. Corpuz , Correspondent

ABOUT 500 Filipino workers are reportedly trapped inside an American air base in Iraq and are not allowed to communicate even with Philippine Embassy officials in Baghdad, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Brillantes said unconfirmed reports reaching the embassy indicated that the Filipinos are stranded in the Balad Air Base, which had come under terrorist attack recently.

“Our chargé d’affaires, Eric Endaya, visited the air base yesterday but was denied access to our nationals. He was told that the air base is a high-security installation and is still off-limits. I guess this is part of their ongoing rules on accessibility on entry and egress,” Brillantes said in an interview. The Filipinos and workers from Kuwait and Jordan were brought to Iraq through American subcontractors.
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In the light of the escalation of the fighting in Iraq between coalition forces and Iraqi militants, and the abduction of civilian foreigners, the government’s Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security is “reassessing the situation and calibrating our options” whether or not to pull the Filipino peacekeepers out of that country.
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2004/apr/15/yehey/top_stories/20040415top4.html

Well some contractors carry guns and make a grand a day and some wash and cook for them...