DERK BOLT: "AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT WAS A ROBBERY"
AD.nl
http://www.ad.nl/buitenland/derk-bolt-we-dachten-aan-een-roofoverval~a4b8442d/
Derk Bolt and Eugenio Follender first thought it was a robbery when armed men forced them to stop their car last week in the northeast of Colombia. Bolt told this in an interview with the Colombian news radio Caracol.
"We were in a village called Versalles and initially thought of a robbery when the armed men demanded our camera. Very strange, we did not understand anything and at that time our abduction began," the Spoorloos presenter tells
Under the threat of firearms, the abductors took Follender and him away. After a few hours they arrived at a house where they stayed one day. The next day they were transferred to another house. "The third day of our abduction, the abductors were very nervous because of fear of the Colombian army and they fled into the jungle with us. It was very heavy but our abductors were very friendly and treated us with much respect, almost like friends."
Bolt ensures that Follender and he are in good health, with exception of some small wounds on arms and legs. These were caused by contact with branches of trees and shrubs. "Mentally and physically, we are OK."
Derk Bolt and Eugenio Follender entered Colombia on Thursday, June 15th from neighboring Venezuela. They registered in a hotel in Cúcuta and then got on their way for a report about the search for the biological mother of a Dutch-Colombian adoptive child. On the go they were abducted by Frente 'Hector', an armed group under the authority of the Northeastern War Front of the ELN.
According to Bolt, his cameraman and he will not continue their journalistic work in the region for the time being. "We never thought that this could happen because nobody told us we should not go into this area. It was a great lesson and a big mistake in the 25 years we do this work."
After their release, he two Dutchmen were examined by a medic and then left by car with a humanitarian support team to the city of Cúcuta for a meeting with a Dutch delegation.
Bolt declared to De Telegraaf to be "extremely relieved" that he is free again. "That euphoria will probably disappear soon if we are being interviewed by the police for hours." According to him, his abductors thought his cameraman and he were from the US intelligence service CIA. "We tried to explain that we are program makers, but when we saw the commander of the ELN rebel movement in front of us, we knew things weren't right."
The rebels took Bolt and Follender deep into the jungle. Derk feared he would not survive. "We literally dived into the jungle, as if we were diving into an empty swimming pool. It was a roller coaster. ''
Bolt has fallen a few times and he has a lot of pain on his rib cage. "Once, I fell almost on a branch that would have gone through me." Follender recalls the emotional "jojo effect" because he did not know if people were aware that they had been abducted. The relief was great when they saw themselves on television.
Derk Bolt earlier stated today in an interview in Spanish with the Colombian news site La Opinión "never felt so well in his life before." He called the feeling of being free "a moment of great excitement and joy" and, in his own words, looks back on a week with an 'unforgettable experience' and 'unexpected companionship' (with his abductors) that he never "believed possible". The Spoorloos presenter thanked everyone who helped to make their release possible.
Eugenio Follender said in English to be "very happy" that the abduction is over. "It was very heavy. We are grateful for all the help that managed to get us out of this situation. I look forward to the near future and look forward to seeing my family."
BBM
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