[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 111 (Thursday, August 2, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5317-H5319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




MOURNING THE DEATH OF RON SANDER, WELCOMING THE RELEASE FROM CAPTIVITY 
   OF ARNIE ALFORD, STEVE DERRY, JASON WEBER, AND DAVID BRADLEY, AND 
              SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO COMBAT SUCH TERRORISM

  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on International Relations be discharged from further 
consideration of the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 89) mourning 
the death of Ron Sander at the hands of terrorist kidnappers in Ecuador 
and welcoming the release from captivity of Arnie Alford, Steve Derry, 
Jason Weber, and David Bradley, and supporting efforts by the United 
States to combat such terrorism, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.

[[Page H5318]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I 
yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), the manager 
of the bill.
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, on October 12, 2000, 10 men, including 
five Americans, were abducted from an Ecuadorean oil field. On January 
31, 2001, Ron Sander of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, was brutally murdered 
by his captors.
  The hostages spent 141 days in captivity and endured malnutrition, 
isolation, and physical and mental abuse.
  On June 23, 2001, Colombian National Police General Jose Leonardo 
Gallego's anti-kidnapping unit, working with the U.S. authorities, 
arrested 59 people, including eight men accused of abducting the 10 oil 
field workers in Ecuador. We thank General Gallego for his good work in 
bringing these criminals to justice.
  Please join me in supporting this resolution expressing condolences 
to the family of Ron Sander and welcoming the release of the American 
captives back home.
  Mr. WELDON of Oregon. Continuing to reserve my right to object, Mr. 
Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton).
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to commend the 
gentleman for introducing this resolution mourning the death of Mr. Ron 
Sander of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, and welcoming the other victims of 
this kidnapping incident home from South America.
  Ron Sander was one of 10 people who were seized by terrorists last 
October while they were working for an oil company in Ecuador. In what 
can only be termed a tragedy, Sander was found murdered in late 
January, shot five times in the back by his captors.
  While it appears to be clear that those who kidnapped Ron Sander and 
nine other were merely part of a gang of criminals, the act of 
kidnapping is fast becoming a tool which is employed by those violent 
actors who are involved in the Colombian civil war, and increasingly, 
in the countries which neighbor Colombia.
  The oil-rich areas of Ecuador attract many American companies and 
other firms that employ Americans. It is my hope that we in the 
Congress can help to find a peaceful resolution to the conflicts of the 
region and can thereby hope to lessen the possibility that Americans 
would be kidnapped in a cowardly act of violence not unlike the one 
that took the life of Ronald Sander.
  My heart goes out to the families of all the kidnapping victims who 
waited for their loved ones' safe return; but most of all, I want to 
express my deepest sympathy to Mr. Sander's family.
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to 
object, I am pleased to have this opportunity to address what I believe 
is one of the most outrageous acts committed against American citizens 
abroad in recent years, the kidnapping of five American citizens 
working in Ecuador by a band of ruthless terrorists.
  On October 12, 2000, a number of international oil workers were 
abducted from an oil field in northern Ecuador by a heavily armed group 
of terrorists. Mr. Speaker, ``terrorists'' may be too generous a word 
to describe these thugs, for they were motivated not by ideology but by 
naked greed. Their intention was to ransom their captives, plain and 
simple.
  Among the hostages taken were five American citizens, Arnie Alford, 
Steve Derry, Jason Weber of Gold Hill, Oregon, in my congressional 
district, David Bradley of Casper, Wyoming, and Ron Sander of Sunrise 
Beach, Missouri.
  The nightmare that began for these men on October 12 would ultimately 
last 141 days, 4\1/2\ months of deprivation and hardship such as we can 
scarcely contemplate. These men endured inhumane treatment day after 
day at the hands of their captors. They suffered from prolonged 
malnutrition, isolation from loved ones, and relentless physical and 
mental abuse.
  Each day was spent marching at gunpoint through the unforgiving 
jungles of South America, and each night was spent tied up in the 
terrorists' camps. The diet that sustained the men was as cruel as 
their surroundings: small portions of rice and occasionally the meat of 
rodents. The perseverance shown by these brave Americans in the face of 
such unremitting adversity is a testament to the human spirit.
  Mr. Speaker, the fear of death hung over the heads of these hostages 
every day of their ordeal. Sadly, on January 31 of 2001, that fear 
became a reality when one of the hostages, Ron Sander, was murdered by 
his kidnappers. His body was discovered riddled with bullets, a brutal 
act intended to encourage the employers of the hostages to meet the 
kidnappers' demand.
  Finally, the nightmare came to an end when the hostages were released 
from their captivity and handed over to Ecuadoran military authorities.
  Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this resolution first and foremost is to 
welcome the safe return of our fellow citizens and to mourn the death 
of Ron Sander, an innocent victim of the greed and malice of cowards.
  The resolution also recognizes the cooperation of the Ecuadoran 
authorities who provided invaluable assistance in negotiating the safe 
return of the hostages.
  It further acknowledges the employers of the victims, Erickson Air-
Crane, Schlumberger Ltd., and Helmerich & Payne, whose commitment to 
their employees during this ordeal was absolute and unwavering.
  Finally, House Concurrent Resolution 89 reiterates the United States' 
commitment to securing justice for the victims of this crime and 
holding the terrorists accountable for their actions.
  It also expresses the sense of Congress that the United States must 
redouble its efforts to prevent future kidnappings and eliminate the 
threat represented by international terrorist organizations.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to add that I could not be more 
pleased at the arrest of a number of suspects in this case by the 
Colombia National Police on June 23. Working in concert with U.S. 
authorities, the Colombia police arrested 59 people, including eight 
men accused of participating in this October kidnapping.
  It is my profound hope that if these men are in fact guilty of this 
hideous crime, that they will receive swift and severe punishment that 
they so richly deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the Committee on International Relations for 
moving on this resolution with such great haste, and I appreciate the 
time of the House to share this.
  I withdraw my reservation of objection, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 89

       Whereas Ron Sander of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, one of ten 
     men abducted from an Ecuadorian oil field on October 12, 
     2000, was brutally murdered by his terrorist captors on 
     January 31, 2001;
       Whereas Arnie Alford, Steve Derry, and Jason Weber, of Gold 
     Hill, Oregon, and David Bradley, of Casper, Wyoming, were 
     also among the ten men abducted;
       Whereas the kidnapped men endured inhuman treatment at the 
     hands of their captors, suffering from malnutrition, 
     isolation, and physical and mental abuse;
       Whereas the hostages spent 141 days in captivity before 
     being released to Ecuadorian military authorities;
       Whereas the Government of Ecuador provided invaluable 
     assistance in seeking the safe return of the hostages; and
       Whereas the employers of the hostages, Erickson Air-Crane, 
     Schlumberger Ltd., and Helmerich & Payne, maintained a 
     tireless commitment to their employees and their families 
     during protracted negotiations with the terrorists: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That
       (1) the Congress welcomes the safe return of American 
     citizens Arnie Alford, Steve Derry, Jason Weber, and David 
     Bradley from captivity by terrorists in Ecuador and 
     congratulates them for their perseverance in the face of 
     persistent and unremitting adversity;
       (2) the Congress extends its deepest sympathy to the family 
     of Ron Sander, who was killed by terrorists in Ecuador, and 
     salutes his steadfast courage under the most difficult of 
     circumstances;
       (3) the Congress supports the commitment of the United 
     States to bringing the killers of Ron Sanders and the 
     kidnappers of Arnie Alford, Steve Derry, Jason Weber, and 
     David Bradley to justice; and
       (4) it is the sense of the Congress that the United States 
     must redouble its efforts to prevent future kidnappings by 
     working in

[[Page H5319]]

     concert with foreign governments to neutralize the threat 
     represented by terrorist groups who perpetrate such crimes.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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