kidnapped oil worker alive and well in Columbia
A British oil worker who was kidnapped in Colombia nearly two years ago is reported to be ‘‘alive and well’’, the British Foreign Office said.
A British freelance journalist met Alistair Taylor in the South American country where he went was seized by a group believed to be nationalist guerillas on August 27, 1999.
Mr Taylor, from Aberdeen, was working for a oil firm based in Houston, Texas, at the time.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘‘We can confirm that a UK freelance journalist has had access to Alistair Taylor and we understand that he found him to be alive and well.
‘‘He (the journalist) did not discuss his plans to visit Columbia with us and we would have advised him of the tremendous risks involved.
‘‘We don’t know how he gained access to Mr Taylor.’’
The spokesman said he did not know the identity of the journalist, but added:
‘‘We hope to have more details in due course.’’
The spokesman said: ‘‘We have been closely involved in the case since August 27, 1999 and we continue to raise Mr Taylor’s case at every opportunity with the Colombian government.’’
He added that he ‘‘could not speculate’’ on the identity of the group holding him.
Last September, Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam and Foreign Office Minister John Battle raised Mr Taylor’s case on a visit to Colombia.
Mr Taylor had worked for US company Weatherford in Colombia since 1995.
He was abducted as he arrived for work near the town of Yopal, capital of the oil-rich province of Casanare.
