Finns Risto Vahanen and Seppo Franti arrived in Helsinki late on Tuesday from Libya.
Published:
13 September 2000 y., Wednesday
Finns Risto Vahanen and Seppo Franti arrived in Helsinki late on Tuesday from Libya, almost five months after they were kidnapped by Muslim rebels while holidaying at a resort in Malaysia.
Vahanen kissed the ground as he had promised to do after stepping off the government-leased plane at Helsinki international airport at around 9:30 p.m. The two were accompanied by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and other officials.
The Finns, laughing and looking relieved to be home, were greeted with flowers by relatives at the airport tarmac.
Vahanen and Franti were released in the Philippines on Saturday with two other Europeans and arrived in Libya on Monday.
They were among 21 people kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas from a resort on the east Malaysian island of Sipadan on April 23 and taken to the southern Philippines island of Jolo.
The rebels handed over the Finns to government emissaries on Saturday along with German Marc Wallert and Frenchman Stephane Loisy. The four arrived in Tripoli on Monday.
Šaltinis:
dailynews.yahoo.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Ensuring that women are protected from physical, sexual or psychological abuse if they flee abroad is what lies behind the proposed European Protection Order.
more »
Remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha dumped more rain across Central America, killing at least 73 people in the region, and forcing scores of others to flee their homes.
more »
Ninety-three-year old Lim Guan Siew looks back, with regret, on her experience of the long-dispelled Chinese custom of foot-binding.
more »
Ahead of the 2010 No Tobacco Day (Monday 31st May), the European Commission unveils the results of a Eurobarometer survey which shows that a strong majority of EU citizens support stronger tobacco control measures.
more »
Enviromentalist and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh puts his body to the test in thin air and cold water to highlight shrinking glaciers in high mountain ranges.
more »
It’s a dog’s life for the 1,500 unwanted strays who spend their days in a slum-like shelters in Brazil’s southern city of Caxias do Sul.
more »
Three resolutions on the situation in Thailand, the pre-election climate in Burma and religious freedom in Pakistan were adopted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday.
more »
Growing numbers of children enroll in kung-fu schools to learn self-defense techniques after a series of school attacks in recent weeks spark wide-spread concern in China.
more »
Homosexuality in the military can be a thorny issue around the world, with gay and lesbian soldiers often hiding their sexual preference out of fear.
more »
European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will urge EU Member States to swiftly ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during a May 19 Ministers’ meeting in Zaragoza, Spain.
more »