*** Philippines: Report - Abu Sayyaf hostage Martin Burnham killed, Gracia rescued ***

AFP via Babelfish translation ^ | June 7, 2002

[HAL9000]

Killed Burnham, its wounded but released wife

Friday June 07, 2002 - 8h27 GMT

ZAMBOANGA (the Philippines), June 7 (AFP) - the American hostage Martin Burhnam was killed while his wife, blessée, were released at the time of an operation of help carried out by the army philippine Friday, indicated a General Filipino to the AFP.

The General was not able to specify the gravity of the wounds of Gracia Burnham.

[Corporate Law]

More glad tidings from the "Religion of Peace" /sarcasm

[NautiNurse]

Heard a telephone interview on FNC with Martin's mother. That woman is solid as a rock. She was awe inspiring.

May God bless their family and keep them strong. Godspeed for Gracia's recovery from her wounds and her safe return home.

[Catspaw]

I heard the same interview. The children, those poor children, have been told that their mother has been rescued and their father is dead.

Abu Sayyaf probably used Martin Burham and the Filipino nurse as either human shields or killed them when they realized that they were going down in one last firefight. It's a miracle Gracia has survived. My prayers for their family.

[2sheep]

 New Tribes Mission | Planting tribal churches
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 NTM | Burnham special report

Ps 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Martin and Gracia before.                                                 Last November

Martin and Gracia's children, from left, Zach, Mindy and Jeff

Chronology

NTM missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham have served in the Philippines since 1986. Martin is a pilot and Gracia assists in a variety of roles that support NTM's aviation program there.

Martin grew up in the Philippines, the eldest son of Paul and Oreta Burnham who continue to minister there. Gracia is a daughter of Rev. Norvin and Betty Jo Jones of Arkansas. Martin and Gracia's three children -- Jeff, 15, Mindy, 12, and Zach, 11 -- were born in the Philippines.

The Burnhams were kidnapped May 27, 2001, while celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at Dos Palmas Resort off Palawan Island. Rebels from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) seized several more guests, including another American, Guillermo Sobero, and took them to Basilan Island, an ASG stronghold.

Early in the ordeal, the Philippine military surrounded the hostages and their kidnappers, who had holed up in a hospital, but the ASG escaped with more hostages, including Filipina nurse Deborah Yap. In the ensuing months, Mr. Sobero's body was found. Other hostages were killed, but most were set free. Since November 2001, only the Burnhams and Ms. Yap remain in captivity.

In the same month, a Philippine television network broadcast a video clip of the Burnhams. Martin's considerable weight loss and the couple's emotional fatigue were evident. Nonetheless, released hostages reported that the faith and hope Martin and Gracia have in Christ has been evident and encouraging.

The Philippine military has repeatedly said it has the ASG rebels surrounded. The Philippine government is pursuing a military solution. In mid-December US authorities told NTM representatives and Burnham family members that the USA would take a more active role in seeking freedom for Martin and Gracia. US troops have been sent to the Philippines.

The couple has now been in captivity a year. We do not understand all that God is doing, or why, but we will continue to trust Him.

[dansangel]

"President Gloria Arroyo expressed grief upon learning of the death of Abu Sayyaf captives Martin Burnham and Ediborah Yap during a military encounter with the bandits in Zamboanga del Norte province Friday afternoon."

She's a lying sack of.......

She has done everything in her power to keep the US troops at bay. She made it very plain she wanted no outside interference while the Burnham's were tortured and moved around like abused animals.

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE???

Why is this not drop-dead headline news????

These people suffered for over a year, a ransom was paid to the filthy scum that held them and now Mr. Burnham is dead.

We owe more to these people than to bury this story on the back page.

[Steve0113]

"It is up to President Bush and the President of the Philippines to decide how far we can go to clear out the terrorists."

Kill all these Islamic savages!

Today, preferably.

[Semper Paratus]

Why is this not drop-dead headline news????

It would have been if they were journalists instead of Christian workers.

[anniegetyourgun]

Ain't that the truth. Though they would have had to be mainstream/liberal media types.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Lest We FORGET:

Basilan, Philippines
(March 10, 2002)

"...Unknown to most, the U.S. troops-- especially the Special Forces now in this Abu Sayyaf lair--are facing not merely a rag-tag band of bandits but hard core Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-trained fighters. Most of the Abu Sayyaf leaders have fought Rambo-like in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan in the 1980s after receiving training from the CIA, battling some of Russia1s best fighting paratroopers, a reality the Philippine military seemed to have forgotten. And they are now better and well armed, thanks to the millions of dollars of ransom collected from the so many hostages they have taken, some of which they brutally tortured, beheaded and killed.... .According to former Philippine Senate Minority Leader Nene Pimentel, the Abu Sayyaf are remnants of about 800 Filipino Muslim Moujahideens who, together with thousands of other Muslim jihad warriors from several countries, were recruited, trained and financed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to fight the CIA-sponsored proxy war in Afghanistan against the Russians in 1980....."

Lest We Forget---The Root of "the Axis of Evil"

[anniegetyourgun]

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev. 12:11

[nicmarlo]

President Bush just discussed this, live, on FOX, prior to his meeting ..... he said he's going to call the parents, he said that he's talked to the Phillipine (president?) who said the terrorists who did this will be brought to justice. The Phillipine leader said they've reached out to the the (family? or wife?) and expressed their sympathy and sorrow, and Bush said he said he was glad the Phillipine leader has reached out to the American.

[agrace]

Martin, 42, and Gracia, 43, were the longest-held foreign captives in the Philippines since Muslim separatists began seizing hostages in the 1970s to press for an Islamic state in the south of the mainly Catholic former U.S. colony.

Muslim logic is astounding.

[Clara Lou]

His death is so sad and so unfair. (I didn't realize how much weight he'd lost until I saw a pre-captive picture of him.) I'm so glad, at least, that his wife survived. It's going to be hard for her, though. She may never be the same.

I want revenge.

[OldFriend]

Early radio news on WABC........simply stated that as a result of American CIA, Martin Burnham was killed and his wife wounded.

Sickening depiction.......not even mentioning that the wife was rescued and leaving the impression that our CIA shot them.

If ever we must remember NOT to react to our media's interpretation of events this is a reminder.

Pray for Gracia's recovery.

[OldFriend]

A few weeks ago Richard Holbrook was on CSPAN. He was criticizing President Bush and stated that he could see no reason why we had troops in the Philippines since there were no terrorists there at all. The hostage takers were nothing more than local thugs with no connections to any other groups.

I emailed CSPAN immediately but of course, there was no comment from them or Holbrook.

[swampfox98]

Look for the ACLU to sue the Philippine Army for abusing the seperation of Church and State law by their attempted rescue of the Burnhams.

[Registered]

Thanks for following this one so closely. Praise God Gracia will survive. God bless Martin's soul.

[Mercat]

I heard this morning that over 40 members of the Philippine military including 7 in this raid, have died trying to obtain the release of the hostages. I'm not ready for U.S. troops to go in and take over in every country on the globe to save American citizens.