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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Freed Colombia hostage sees son | Freed Colombia hostage sees son |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A woman who gave birth to a boy while she was being held hostage by Farc rebels in Colombia, has been reunited with her son after being freed. | A woman who gave birth to a boy while she was being held hostage by Farc rebels in Colombia, has been reunited with her son after being freed. |
| Clara Rojas' son, Emmanuel, fathered by one of the rebels, was taken from her aged eight months suffering from malnutrition and tropical diseases. | Clara Rojas' son, Emmanuel, fathered by one of the rebels, was taken from her aged eight months suffering from malnutrition and tropical diseases. |
| Now nearly four, he has been living in a foster home in Bogota. | Now nearly four, he has been living in a foster home in Bogota. |
| A government official present at the reunion said that it was "a very emotional moment". | A government official present at the reunion said that it was "a very emotional moment". |
| Clara Rojas and fellow hostage Consuelo Gonzalez were freed on Thursday, after prolonged efforts by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to broker the release. | |
| But the Farc continue to hold about 700 people, including more than 40 high-profile hostages. | But the Farc continue to hold about 700 people, including more than 40 high-profile hostages. |
| Among them are three US defence contractors and the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, whose presidential campaign Ms Rojas was managing when the pair were seized in 2002. | Among them are three US defence contractors and the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, whose presidential campaign Ms Rojas was managing when the pair were seized in 2002. |
| 'Reborn' | 'Reborn' |
| Clara Rojas, 44, arrived in the Colombian capital on Sunday from Venezuela, where she had been flown immediately after her release. | |
| The hostages were first flown to Venezuela after their release | The hostages were first flown to Venezuela after their release |
| "I feel very happy to be here, I am reborn, I am living again," she said at Bogota's military airport, before she went to meet her son. | "I feel very happy to be here, I am reborn, I am living again," she said at Bogota's military airport, before she went to meet her son. |
| "The boy is apparently very well. Today I was told he sent me a little something." | "The boy is apparently very well. Today I was told he sent me a little something." |
| She also remembered the hostages who are still being held. | She also remembered the hostages who are still being held. |
| "I want to say hello to Ingrid... what I want most is that she could be here today" she said. | "I want to say hello to Ingrid... what I want most is that she could be here today" she said. |
| Emmanuel had originally been expected to be part of the hostage release plan, but after DNA tests indicated that a boy in foster care in Bogota was Ms Rojas' son, the Farc admitted that they were no longer holding the boy. | Emmanuel had originally been expected to be part of the hostage release plan, but after DNA tests indicated that a boy in foster care in Bogota was Ms Rojas' son, the Farc admitted that they were no longer holding the boy. |
| Child psychologists have been showing the boy photographs of his mother to prepare him for the meeting. | Child psychologists have been showing the boy photographs of his mother to prepare him for the meeting. |
| Clara Rojas will not immediately take Emmanual home with her, because the child needs time to adjust to a mother of whom he has no memory. | Clara Rojas will not immediately take Emmanual home with her, because the child needs time to adjust to a mother of whom he has no memory. |
| After the birth, she was only allowed to see her son for a few hours a day, until he was eight months old and taken away suffering from illness. | After the birth, she was only allowed to see her son for a few hours a day, until he was eight months old and taken away suffering from illness. |
| Chavez appeal | Chavez appeal |
| Hugo Chavez has angered the Colombian president | Hugo Chavez has angered the Colombian president |
| President Chavez on Sunday said that the Farc should stop taking hostages as part of their opposition to the Colombian government. | President Chavez on Sunday said that the Farc should stop taking hostages as part of their opposition to the Colombian government. |
| "I don't believe in kidnapping and I don't believe in armed struggle," he said. | "I don't believe in kidnapping and I don't believe in armed struggle," he said. |
| He had earlier angered the Colombian authorities by calling for the international community to stop labelling the Farc "terrorists". | He had earlier angered the Colombian authorities by calling for the international community to stop labelling the Farc "terrorists". |
| But Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who has distanced himself from Mr Chavez's hostage mission, retorted that the insurgents were indeed terrorists who funded their operations with cocaine smuggling, recruited children and planted land mines in their effort to topple a democratically elected government. | But Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who has distanced himself from Mr Chavez's hostage mission, retorted that the insurgents were indeed terrorists who funded their operations with cocaine smuggling, recruited children and planted land mines in their effort to topple a democratically elected government. |
| "The only thing they have produced is displacement, pain, unemployment and poverty," Mr Uribe said. | "The only thing they have produced is displacement, pain, unemployment and poverty," Mr Uribe said. |