By Patrick Markey
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian radio and TV stations onThursday celebrated the release of four lawmakers held byrebels for six years, but for Johanna Herrera the news was areminder of her long fruitless struggle to find her father.
FARC guerrillas kidnapped Victor Herrera as he drove to thefamily's farm more than five years ago. He is one of hundredsof rebel kidnap victims the government says are held forextortion and after years often forgotten by the public.
As the FARC spars with the government over a deal to freehigh-profile political captives such as French-Colombianpolitician Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans, Herrerawondered how much hope they can dare to have that her fatherwill be released or even found.
"You watch the news now and the topic of the day is thehostages and for someone who has lived it, experienced it, it'shard to even to switch on the TV," Herrera told Reuters.
"He may not be a political figure, but he's my father and Iwant him back," the university student said.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC,is holding 40 key hostages, including Betancourt and the threeU.S. contract workers, whom it says it wants to exchange forjailed guerrilla fighters in a humanitarian agreement.
In a release brokered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez,the FARC freed two politicians in January and on Wednesdayhanded over four former lawmakers. That deal has raised hopesfor other political captives.
But the government estimates around 700 more people arestill registered as kidnapped by the FARC for ransom.Authorities are now investigating each case to have a cleareridea of how many captives are still missing.
Some case files are out of date. For example, families donot always tell authorities when victims have been freed, orthe captives are considered dead. Hundreds more victims ofoutlawed paramilitaries are also missing around the country.
"What is important is for the FARC to let us know what hashappened to those 700 people," said Harlan Henao, director ofthe Defence Ministry agency that monitors and coordinates thecampaign against kidnapping.
Kidnapping in Colombia has fallen off as President AlvaroUribe has sent troops to retake areas once under the control ofarmed groups. FARC kidnappings, for example, fell from 740 in2002 to 66 registered last year.
The Herrera family heard from Victor's captives soon aftergunmen stopped him with his brother and two children in a car.The other three were released later.
They soon identified themselves as FARC members. But aftera year of sporadic negotiations, the rebels broke off contact.
"I am still hopeful, but I have to say that after all thistime, I sometimes doubt very much he is still alive," Johannasaid. "I want him to come back, and if not, that at least weknow what happened, to have some closure."
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
