Two Japanese abducted in Paraguay
POSTED: 0357 GMT (1157 HKT), April 2, 2007
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ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) -- A Japanese business executive and his secretary were abducted at gunpoint in eastern Paraguay, triggering a mass police search.
Police said late Monday that the two Japanese -- identified as Hirokasu Ota, a 62-year-old businessman employed by agro-industrial company Victoria, and his assistant, Savako Shuma -- were abducted Sunday along with a policeman and his girlfriend on a highway near Caaguazu, 220 kilometers (125 miles) east of the capital of Asuncion.
In Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK identified the woman as Sawako Yamaguchi and said, citing Paraguay's national police, that captors were demanding $150,000 for the release of the two.
Contacted by The Associated Press, national police deputy commander Pedro Mendez would not confirm the report of a ransom demand but said some 200 police agents had been dispatched.
A police commissioner in the southeastern city of Caaguazu, Alvaro Ramirez, said police suspect the attack was carried out by criminals who ambush trucks along the route to seize their cargo.
"The attack was realized by criminals we refer to as 'highway pirates'," Ramirez said. "Right now we can't speak of extortion kidnapping because we have no official information about that."
Ramirez said the attack occurred as the victims were traveling on a highway linking Asuncion to Ciudad del Este on Paraguay's so-called Triple Border with Brazil and Argentina.
"The incident was observed by police officer Rafael Ramos and his girlfriend Nancy Jimenez, who were passing by in their car," Ramirez said. "They were also stopped by the criminals ... but minutes earlier the policeman used his cell phone to warn his base about the assault."
He said Ramos told police the assailants were dressed in military uniforms, which are commonly sold across the country.
Paraguayan media said that if confirmed, it would be the fifth kidnapping in the region this year.
Japan's top government spokesman declined to comment.
"Generally speaking, if such an incident occurred we will naturally gather information, but we will refrain from commenting," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters.
Ota has been living in Paraguay for the last 10 years, according to NHK.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/04/02/paraguay.japanese.ap/index.html
Kim Il Jung is rumored not to be involved in this one.
