Story number 1 for 3 Jul 2001

(Colombia)–Our newscast begins in Colombia where leftist rebels continue their mass prisoner release. The move is being hailed as a major boost for peace talks to end Colombia’s decades-old civil conflict. Scott Ross explains what this move means for the New Tribes Mission Crisis Team and the investigation into their three missing men. “This, we see as a bit of a positive move at least in the government and the rebels working together. It might help open up a line of communication for us.” When asked if the crisis in the Philippines has had an effect on the Colombia team, Ross said: “It really has not slowed the process down. We’ve been in contact with the authorities down there, throughout the time that this Philippine situation has been going on and we just want people to continue to pray that we could get some credible information on the fate of the men.” New Tribes has several leads under investigation into the 1993 kidnappings of Dave Mankins, Mark Rich and Rick Tenenoff.