8/5 topic : korean hostages being held by Taliban in Afghan

[TOMMY(이주형)]

Third Hostage’s Life in Jeopardy

Kim Mi-ok, left, mother of Shim Sung-min, the second hostage killed out of the 23 Korean volunteers abducted by Taliban insurgents, cries as she enters the office of the families of victims in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Yonhap

Seoul condemns Taliban's execution: Another deadline set for 4:30 p.m.

By Kim Yon-se, Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporters in Seoul with Emal Pashtunyar in Kabul

Taliban militants Tuesday threatened to kill a third Korean hostage today unless their demands for a prisoner swap are accepted by 4:30 this afternoon (KST).

Taliban spokesman Yousaf Ahamdi said that the series of killings will continue until their demands for an exchange of Afghan-held prisoners for the hostages are met, as he set the 10th deadline.

A supreme council of the Taliban was held Monday to decide whether to kill the hostages one by one, or collectively, or release them, and was reported to have chosen to kill them one by one. The second hostage was killed right after the meeting, according to sources in Kabul.

``If our demands are not met by then, we will start killing the rest of the 21 South Koreans,'' Ahamadi was quoted as saying by AFP, accusing the Afghan and South Korean governments of insincerity in negotiations.

He urged again the Korean government to press Kabul to free the prisoners. But the Afghan government ruled out release of Taliban prisoners Tuesday.

The Taliban shot to death Shim Sung-min, 29, Monday night, following the killing of the leader of the Christian aid group, Rev. Bae Hyung-kyu, on July 25.

Ahmadi said they killed Shim because the Afghan government didn't pay attention to deadlines for the negotiations though these were extended several times for ``sincere talks.''

Shim's body was found in the southern province of Ghazni, about 140 kilometers south of Kabul where 23 Koreans were kidnapped, and transported to a U.S. military base in Bagram.

The South Korean government strongly denounced the killing, vowing to take stern countermeasures against the Taliban over any further killings of innocent Korean hostages.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Cheon Ho-seon warned that South Korea would not ``sit idle and watch'' the lives of its innocent citizens being taken.

In a statement, Cheon said the Korean government ``will not tolerate any further acts of harming innocent Koreans and holds the perpetrators responsible.''

``The Korean government strongly condemns and urges an immediate end to these heinous acts of killing innocent people in order to press for demands that it can't meet,'' the statement said. ``Kidnapping and killing innocent people can't be justified for any cause.''

The Taliban reiterated that its only demand is the swapping of prisoners for the hostages, which is totally up to the Afghan government. Kabul has said it can't participate in such a deal because such exchange could encourage more kidnappings by the insurgents. Most countries refuse to negotiate with terrorists for just such reasons.

``We shouldn't encourage kidnapping by actually accepting their demands,'' Humayun Hamidzada, the spokesman of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, told reporters.

Cheon asked the international community to exert efforts to resolve the prolonged crisis, indirectly urging the United States to exert its influence over the Afghan government to set free jailed Taliban rebels as demanded by the insurgent group to save the Korean hostages.

``The government is well aware of how the international community deals with these kinds of abduction cases,'' he said. ``But it also believes that it would be worthwhile to use flexibility for saving the precious lives of those still in captivity and is appealing for the international community to do so.''

Cheon said the government will continue its efforts to bring the remaining 21 hostages home safely at an early date, but it remains unchanged in its opposition to any military operation meant to rescue the hostages, saying that dialogue should not be given up until the last moment.

The second slaying of a Korean hostage has triggered international condemnation of the Islamic insurgents.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference called for the immediate release of the hostages, saying such kidnapping action ran counter to the tenets of Islam's noble values.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said it was extremely concerned since many of the hostages are women, who should not be part of the conflict, and had come to Afghanistan to help the people there.

Pope Benedict XVI said on Sunday the abduction of the Koreans was a ``grave violation of human dignity,'' which clashes with every elementary norm of civility and human rights.

The remaining Korean abductees _ 18 women and three men, mostly in their 20s and 30s _ went to Afghanistan on July 13 to offer volunteer medical services. Most of them are members of the Saemmul Community Church in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.

********************    Questions    ****************

Q1. tell us what's going on now in Afgan?

Q2.what's the main reason korean has been kidnapped by Taliban    militant?

Q3. why did they kill korean hostages?

Q4. who can be to blame for this tragedy going on , korean government or Afgan or US or Taliban or 샘물교회 and why?

Q5. what can be done to address this urgent situation by government

Q6. what do you think about 샘물교회, is it right that it dispatched 23 of   volunteers   in Afgan in the name of missionary work

Q7. what do you know about rumours relating to this accident? and what do  you think?

Q8 do you blame these volunteers for ignoring several times warning from government?

Q9.do you agree that volunteers go to the place where is very dangerous

    such as Iraq, Afgan, Sudan and so on, in order to help people in need?

Q10. what do you think about the missionary work by people with  religion?   and what religion mean to you?

[Aaron(곽대원)]

오 역시 수준있는 타픽~~ 이번주는 꼭가께요

[서주(서주형)]

저도 대화하고 싶오욤~ ㅠㅠ 담에 뵙죠~ ^^ 모두들 잘 지내고 있어요~ ㅠㅠ

[ultramkkim (김민권)]

저번주도 못가고.. 이번주도.. 갈수 있으려나.. 몰겠네용.. T.T

[Santiago(이명준)]

수준있으시군요..

[Maxy(박성아)]

격주 참석회원 맥시 입니당... ㅋㅋ 요번주는 참석이요~~!

[Friend(배석우)]

프린트 각자 해 오세요..^^

[Britney(이세희)]

저도 요번주 참석해요~!^^ 조금 controversial topic이네요~영어모임을 참석안했더니 말하는 게 영~ㅎ 혀가 굳어져가용~~ㅋㄷ

[I Jackie(김미경)]

올만에 가는거라...입이라두 벙긋할지..ㅋㅋ topic이 조아서 좋은 토론 될거 같아요...topic 올린다고 수거햇어^^