Rescued Chinese hostage escorted to Chinese embassy in Philippines

A rescued Chinese citizen was escorted by Philippine police to Manila, the country's capital, on Wednesday morning, received by officials from the Embassy of China in the Philippines.

At 9:15 a.m., Wu Xili, escorted by Philippine police officers, stepped out of Terminal 2 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Wu was rescued on Monday evening by police and military following a 10-minute gun fight with his Abu Sayyaf captors in Lambago village, Luuk town in southern Philippine province of Sulu, according to provincial police commander Senior Superintendent Elmer Escosia.

Following the rescue, Sulu police sent Wu to southern Philippine city of Zamboanga with a military aircraft on Tuesday afternoon. He underwent a medical checkup there, with doctors saying that he is in good condition.

Wu, 21 years old, comes from China's southeastern province of Fujian. He was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in December, 2008. Prior to the kidnapping, he worked in a grocery shop owned by his relatives in Sulu.

After Wu was kidnapped, the Embassy of China as well as Consulate-General of China in Philippines' Cebu province followed closely the incident, keeping in touch with local police and overseas Chinese associations there. At the request of the Chinese diplomats, Philippine police and counter-terrorism forces conducted several search and rescue missions, with only the latest one successful.

On Wednesday, when asked what his life was like as a hostage of the notorious Abu Sayyaf group, Wu declined to specify, saying he does not want to look back on those dark days, adding that he wants to go back to China as soon as possible.

The Embassy of China is helping Wu with related procedures for him to go back to China, Chinese diplomats said.

Founded in the 1990s, the southern Philippines-based terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has perpetrated a number of high-profile attacks, including kidnapping, bombing and beheading. The Philippine military estimates that the Abu Sayyaf, which has links with external terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, has about 400 members at present.

Source: Xinhua