[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 119 (Thursday, September 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S10212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLU- TION 116--CONCERNING THE NEW TRIBES MISSION 
                             HOSTAGE CRISIS

  Mr. SPECTER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 116

       Whereas Mark Rich, David Mankins, and Rick Tenenoff of the 
     Sanford, Florida, based New Tribes Mission were abducted on 
     January 31, 1993, from the Kuna Indian village of Pucuro in 
     the Darien Province of Panama;
       Whereas the wives and children of these American citizens, 
     Tania Rich (daughters--Tamra and Jessica), Nancy Mankins 
     (son--Chad, daughter--Sarah), and Patti Tenenoff (son--
     Richard Lee III, daughters--Dora and Connie), have lived the 
     past 5 years without knowledge of the safety of these 3 men;
       Whereas Mark Rich, David Mankins, and Rick Tenenoff 
     presently are believed to be the longest held United States 
     hostages;
       Whereas this kidnapping represents a gross violation of the 
     3 missionaries' human rights and is not an isolated incident 
     in Colombia where, since 1980, 83 innocent Americans have 
     been held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
     Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN);
       Whereas the FARC and the ELN guerrilla groups in Colombia 
     have both been designated terrorist organizations by the 
     Department of State;
       Whereas Colombia is engaged in a high-level conflict with 
     these guerrilla insurgency groups, a number of whom are 
     protectorates of the deadly drug trade;
       Whereas the FARC has recently threatened officials of the 
     United States Government and kidnapped additional United 
     States citizens in Colombia;
       Whereas the region of Colombia where the 3 American 
     missionaries are believed to be held is controlled not by the 
     Colombian Government, but rather by the FARC;
       Whereas on December 9, 1997, the President of Colombia 
     stated on an internationally televised episode of Larry King 
     Live that the FARC ``in some ways have admitted indirectly 
     that they have the missionaries'';
       Whereas Human Rights Watch has stated that ``The FARC has 
     an obligation to unconditionally free the 3 missionaries, 
     with all necessary guarantees'' and Amnesty International has 
     declared their ``request that the FARC respect international 
     humanitarian norms, guarantee the life and physical safety of 
     the missionaries and unconditionally free them and all other 
     hostages'';
       Whereas congressional inquiries regarding the 3 
     missionaries have been made to United States Government 
     entities, including, the White House, the Department of 
     State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, 
     and the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
       Whereas congressional inquiries regarding the 3 
     missionaries have been made to Amnesty International, Pax 
     Christi, His Holiness the Pope John Paul II, and the 
     International Committee of the Red Cross, which has provided 
     assurances that their Colombian delegation ``is still 
     actively working in favor of the missing members of the New 
     Tribes Mission'';
       Whereas 58 Members of Congress and Senators signed letters 
     to 8 different heads of state, including Costa Rica, Mexico, 
     Panama, Spain, Venezuela, Guatemala, Colombia, and Portugal, 
     in attendance at the Iberian-American Conference in Venezuela 
     in November of 1997, requesting any and all assistance in 
     order to bring about a favorable outcome to this unfortunate 
     event;
       Whereas no official confirmation of life or death has been 
     made by any United States Government entity, nongovernmental 
     organization, foreign government, or religious institution;
       Whereas the distinction between a ``terrorist activity'' 
     and a ``criminal activity'' perpetrated on an American 
     citizen traveling abroad should not be a limiting factor in 
     terms of United States governmental investigation; and
       Whereas every consideration to safety and prudence 
     regarding action by the United States Government, foreign 
     governments, nongovernmental organizations, international 
     institutions, and other groups in this matter should be of 
     the highest priority: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That--
       (1) the President of the United States and his emissaries 
     should raise the kidnapping of Mark Rich, David Mankins, and 
     Rick Tenenoff of the New Tribes Mission and other American 
     victims in Colombia to all relevant foreign governments, 
     nongovernmental organizations, and religious institutions at 
     every opportunity until a favorable outcome is achieved;
       (2) the President of the United States and the Secretary of 
     State should offer reward money for information leading to 
     the release of the named hostages;
       (3) the President of the United States and his emissaries 
     should urge the cooperation of the new President of Colombia 
     to assist in the publication of the reward information;
       (4) the international community should encourage any and 
     all groups believed to have information on this case to come 
     forward to help the families of the kidnapped missionaries;
       (5) all appropriate information obtained by the United 
     States Government, foreign governments, international 
     institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and religious 
     institutions should be turned over in a timely basis to the 
     New Tribes Mission crisis response team;
       (6) a copy of this resolution shall be transmitted to the 
     President, the Secretary of State, the National Security 
     Advisor, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the 
     Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Director of Central 
     Intelligence, the President of the Republic of Costa Rica, 
     the President of the United Mexican States, the President of 
     the Republic of Panama, the King of Spain, the President of 
     the Republic of Venezuela, the President of the Republic of 
     Guatemala, the President of the Republic of Colombia, the 
     President of the Republic of Portugal, and His Holiness Pope 
     John Paul II; and
       (7) a copy of this resolution shall be transmitted to the 
     New Tribes Mission, Amnesty International, Pax Christi, and 
     the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition today to 
submit a Resolution that seeks the President's assistance in recovering 
three Americans--Mark Rich, David Mankins, and Rick Tenenoff--who were 
abducted by the Colombian terrorists known as the Revolutionary Armed 
Forces of Colombia (FARC) on January 31, 1993, from the Kuna Indian 
village of Pucuro in the Darien Province of Panama.
  I first became aware of this situation at a Lancaster County open 
house town meeting at the Lancaster City Council Chambers on February 
9, 1998. At the meeting, Ms. Peggie Miller urged me to get involved in 
the situation. Also present at the meeting were Chester and Mary 
Bitterman. Mr. Bitterman stood and spoke passionately about his son, 
Chet Bitterman, III, who was a missionary translator with Wycliffe 
Bible. Chet Bitterman, III, was kidnapped in Bogota, Colombia, in 
January, 1981, held hostage for 48 days and then found brutally 
murdered by Colombian terrorists on march 7, 1981. Not only did Mr. and 
Mrs. Bitterman lose a son, but Chet left a wife and two very young 
daughters. A book entitled ``Called to Die'' written by Steve Estes 
describes the horrible situation. Upon the urging of these 
constituents, I met with New Tribes Mission, the State Department, the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency to 
see what we could do about recovering these kidnapped men.
  This resolution expresses the sense of the Congress that the 
President and his representatives should raise the issue of the 
kidnapping of Mark Rich, David Mankins, and Rick Tenenoff of the New 
Tribes Mission and other American victims in Colombia to all relevant 
foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and religious 
institutions at every opportunity until a favorable outcome is 
achieved. The international community should encourage groups believed 
to have information on this case to come forward. The legislation urges 
that all the appropriate information obtained should be turned over in 
a timely basis to the New Tribes Mission crisis response team.
  Most importantly, the resolution proposes that the President of the 
United States and the Secretary of State offer reward money for 
information leading to the release of Mark, David and Rick. President 
Clinton should also encourage the cooperation of newly-elected 
Colombian President Pastrana to assist in the publication of the reward 
information. Without cooperation between our two governments, we may 
never see the return of these men to their families in the United 
States.
  There are indications that Mr. Rich, Mr. Mankins, and Mr. Tenenoff 
have been held in Colombia for over five years; therefore, they would 
be the longest held American hostages in Colombia. The United States 
government should do all it can to protect its citizens against 
terrorist acts; I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
adoption of this resolution.

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