One of the kidnapped victims, Martin Burnham said yesterday in the radio interview in which the Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for the kidnapping that he wants the government to negotiate with the rebels.

"I am a United States citizen. I am a missionary with the New Tribes Mission in the Philippines for the past 15 years. My group and I are safe in the group of Khadafy Janjalani. We are appealing to the government for a safe and peaceful negotiation."

He and wife Gracia has just arrived at Dos Palmas when they were abducted. A Spanish-American hostage was identified as Guillermo Sobera. Another victim, Filipino Raul de Guzman Recio, editor of Travel Update Philippines said in the same radio interview: "I hope the government does not act hastily in their rescue efforts. They (our kidnappers) are good to us?" He was with his wife Divine and young son Juan.

One of the Filipino victims, former transport undersecretary Francis Guanson, was with his wife Teresa. Relatives of the victims expressed fear, stressing that the Abu Sayyaf took more than six to ten months before they let go of the 40 mostly foreign victims who were separately kidnapped in Malaysia on April 23, last year, and in Jolo from last July to August.

The Abu Sayyaf has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of 20 tourists and hotel staff of an upscale tourist spot in Palawan on Sunday. A spokesman said two Abu Sayyaf leaders in Basilan and Jolo, all based in Mindanao, southern Philippines, are holding the victims.

Speaking in a mixture of Spanish and Tagalog, Abu Sabaya said in a radio programme aired in Mindanao and Manila: "The hostages were divided. Fifteen were placed under the custody of brother Khadafy Janjalani in Basilan and Commander Robot and Mujib Susukan in Sulu."

But a source in Zamboanga said Commander Robot or Ghalib Andang and Mujib Susukan were in charge only of nine hostages in Sulu, and Khadaffy Janjalani and Sabaya, eleven hostages in Basilan.

Victims include two American missionaries, one American tourist, three hotel workers, and fourteen Filipino tourists. "The one I let go, (the cook of Dos Palmas), nobody asked him if he knew me. I was not wearing my sun glasses, that was why he did not recognise me. I decided to let go of three hotel workers because they were excess baggage," said Sabaya.

Sabaya said his group was responsible for the attack at Barcelo Pearl Farm off Samal Davao del Sur. "We are always being blamed for these things. We will give our answer now, specially because we never got answers to our demands. Whenever we get new hostages, that's the only time the government listens to us. We don't want to keep on talking and talking, but now, we are admitting our responsibility."

Sabaya is a friend of Janjalani, the current Abu Sayyaf leader and younger brother of the group's founder Abdurajak Janjalani who was slain in 1998.