WARREN RODWELL’s WIFE DENIES BEING INVOLVED IN KIDNAPPING

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Warren Rodwell’s wife Miraflor Gutang denies being involved in kidnapping

• by: Kristin Shorten  From: news.com.au  June 16, 2013 (Source: AAP)

THE Filipino wife of freed Australian hostage Warren Rodwell says she was not involved in her husband’s kidnapping.

Miraflor Gutang, who married the former Australian soldier in her hometown of Ipil in June 2011, has broken her silence to clear her name. “All the investigation is clear because I’m so innocent. I’m not guilty, never. I could not do that to anyone,” she told news.com.au. “I’m the one to help how to get (Rodwell freed) from the kidnappers. I’m the one to (negotiate) how to make the ransom lower. “I’m the one to suffer when he’s still in kidnap.”

In her first interview since Mr Rodwell’s release, the 28-year-old recounted her own ordeal with the kidnappers. “The kidnappers ring to me. They always angry and say `blood blood’. The kidnappers said a lot about the negotiation. They cannot finish talking about money. They said $US20 million. They said `I want to kill someone of your family’. Of course I’m very scared,” she said. “I said `I need a proof of life he’s still alive’. I wanted to know from the kidnappers if my husband is still with them, if he’s still alive, so I could believe.”

Australian kidnap survivor Warren Rodwell & Filipina ex-wife Miraflor ( aka Grace Gutang )

Ms Gutang said she spoke to her husband three times throughout his captivity. “We talk by phone call and very short. We cannot talk longer. “He said he’s still alive and (feels) hopeless, there’s no one to help him. I’m the one to talk to him about that. He’s a very brave person. I’m the one to cry (when we spoke). “After that (the kidnappers said) `Warren very sick’ and they want to release him.” The mystery surrounding the adventurer’s abduction then deepened when he refused to see his wife. “When I go there (to the hospital) I want to see him, I want to taking care of him, I want him to meet me but the guards said Warren don’t want to see me in person,” she said.

At the time of his kidnapping, Mr Rodwell was building the couple’s new seaside home in Ipil on the Zamboanga Peninsula. Mr Rodwell said he had separated from Ms Gutang, who was living with her parents, two weeks earlier. But Ms Gutang, who has an eight-year-old son from a previous relationship, disputes this. “Maybe he blamed me for what happened to him  because we were living here in the Philippines because last time he wanted to bring me to Australia I don’t like because I don’t want to be far from my family,” she said. “I don’t know why he don’t want to see me. Maybe because sometimes we’d argue before his kidnap.”

In March, Basilan Vice-Governor Al-Rasheed Sakkalahul told News Limited that Ms Gutang had played a key role in orchestrating her husband’s release. “I was very happy when he was released that he was still alive, of course. I wanted to hug him when he was released,” she said. “Warren is very selfish. I don’t know why he’s angry with me. I miss him but what to do?” Mr Rodwell called his estranged wife last weekend to tell her he had filed for a divorce. “I’m so surprised because when he called me he was already in Australia and after that (he said) maybe we’re not lucky in married life. “It’s very terrible so he told me he wanted to make it a divorce so I agreed because I have no choice,” she said.

“He said after I sign the divorce paper he has no more commitment. He said the property he give it to me. He said he didn’t have money to give me. He said `that’s it, no more talk’. “I’m so sad because I wanted to stay with him. Of course I love him still in my heart but our behaviour is not compatible.”  Ms Gutang, the second eldest of eight children, said she was now seeking work to support her family. “Warren wants to divorce me so I want to continue on my own making a future for my son and I have to think of my mum. Nobody help them only me,” she said.  “I was only studying for six months. I never continued because of what happened to Warren. Now I have a plan to find a job.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/filipino-wife-of-freed-australian-hostage-warren-rodwell-says-she-was-not-involved-in-her-husbands-kidnapping/story-fni0fiyv-1226664313561?sv=7064003c729f9f62c0a74206537d5d44#.VA7ryYeZgxo.twitter

Communication & Commuting Clues In Chengdu

Telecommunication in Chengdu is very convenient these days. Mobile phones are universally used. From crowded buses and bustling streets to quiet corners of cultural centres, consumers talking on cell or mobile phones can be seen almost everywhere. People of different ages from various circles, peddlers and university students, are all fond of this handy communication device. It is quite easy for foreign visitors to find telephone booths and public telephones in the street. However, these types of phones are not generally available for international long distance calls. It is much better to go to China Telecom business halls or the business centres of hotels if you need to call abroad.

Something worth mentioning is that mobile phone coverage is available in almost all famous places of scenic interest in Sichuan province - including Mount Emei, Mount Qincheng, Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong. Most of the cell phones on the Chinese mainland use the GSM system. Anyone planning to stay in Chengdu for a long time should give serious thought to buying a local SIM card. To activate international long distance call dialling, you need to go to one of the business halls of either China Mobile or China Unicom. A good choice when buying a cell phone is Taisheng Nan Cell Phone Street as this is where the most updated styles of all brands are available at reasonable prices.

The principle of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) applies the world over when acquiring goods of any description. For reliability and peace of mind, prospective buyers are strongly urged to purchase mobile phones in monopolized big markets like Xunjie Communication, instead of so called “smuggled” ones from peddlers around the street. These phones have mainly been repaired, and in some cases even stolen. Regarded as a loss of property, these inferior quality products represent poor value. Alternatively, if you have a SKYPE account, you could pop into one of the numerous Chengdu internet bars. The connection speed can be 100Mps, so surfing the web and checking e-mails is simple.

Between two to three yuan per hour is often charged for browsing online in internet bars. Initially, a deposit of ten yuan may be required. In addition, an ID card or some other certificate of identification may also be requested. Switched-on foreigners could carry a photocopy of their passport, and leave that as documentary evidence of who they are. Otherwise, business centres of star hotels also have internet services available for a much heftier fee. If you prefer personal handwriting, then correspondence and postcards can be mailed in post offices in the city. There is not many of them. However, post offices are all labelled with “China Post” in green letters, which does make them stand out clearly.

The city of Chengdu is situated on a plain. This geographic feature lends itself well to numerous kinds of transportation vehicles including - taxi, bus, tricycle, bicycle and electro motion bicycle. Recently, construction of a railway subway has been ratified, and part of that construction has already commenced. There are more than three hundred bus routes in Chengdu. They cover all the public transportation networks. Ordinary buses charge one yuan, while buses equipped with air-conditioning charge two yuan. Buses on routes to suburbs charge slightly higher. Most buses are auto ticket-selling. There is no change given when buying tickets, so passengers are expected to tender the exact amount.

The basic fee for a taxi in Chengdu is five yuan, which covers one kilometre. After two kms, you will be charged 1.4 yuan per km if the destination is within seven kms. After seven kilometres, the charge is 2.1 yuan per km if it is within sixty kms. At night, the basic fee is 6 yuan. After 2 kms, you will be charged 1.7 yuan per km if the destination is within seven kms. After seven kms, you are charged 2.55 yuan/km if it is within sixty kms. Every five minutes the taxi waits, the fee of one km is charged. When the taxi goes at a speed slower than 12 kms per hour, the same charge applies as when it is waiting. The charge standard covers both distance and time. Any toll fee is paid by passengers.

Apart from catching a bus or taxi, there are still a lot of man-powered tricycles used as a means of transport by Chengdu people. Compared with taking a bus or taxi, the tricycle is more expedient because it can also cut across both streets and lanes. It is an environment-friendly transportation tool, and popular amongst local folk. The basic tricycle fee is five yuan. More is paid according to how far you actually want to go. You can bargain with the rider, who should offer a reasonable price as per the distance. Almost all tricycle riders are humorous and talkative. They become intimately familiar with the city after daily journeys around every alley and lane. A fascinating mini-tour of sorts is assured.

China is called the “Kingdom of Bicycles”. Its number of bicycles ranks number one in the entire world. The flat Chengdu Plain has been highly conducive to the development of two wheeled machines. This has made the Sichuan capital, the hometown of the bicycle. Bike riding has been rated as the most popular transportation method in Chengdu - partly because of the problems associated with vehicular traffic. It would take longer if you took a bus and had to wait. During the peak periods, endless bicycles on the streets present a spectacular dragon-shaped image. When the rain falls, riders don colourful raincoats, open umbrellas are affixed to handle bars, and life goes on as normal.

With the extension of the city zone, another kind of modern transport has emerged and increased in popularity. The motor-assisted bicycle (electric bike), which is made by adding an electro motion motor based on a bicycle, is driven by an accumulator. This makes it go faster than a normal bicycle. Visitors wishing to tour around by bicycle may be disappointed since there are no bicycle rental companies in Chengdu any more, although some backpacker places could have private arrangements available. You may care to consider buying a used bicycle in the second hand market for between 40 - 70 yuan, and later resell it for whatever it is then worth before you say farewell to Chengdu.

http://warrenrodwell.shutterfly.com

Expatriate writer Warren Rodwell has been in China since 2002, & teaches university postgraduates in Chengdu. Many of his feature stories, reviews and photographs have been published online or in hardcopy media form. Warren also narrates documentaries & administers various websites as part of his efforts to promote Chengdu and Sichuan culture more globally.