Caterina Radu, wife of the kidnapped diplo rat, L. Radu, issued the following statement here on Oct 13.
“The letter sent Saturday at noon by the Khalistan Liberation Force supplies all the necessary information for the Indian government to take the steps conducive to their lease of my husband: the name of the organization holding him is known, the demands of the militants are known and the fact that my husband’s health is deteriorating s known.
“The police have taken action from the first day, thousands of houses (have been searched), thousands of vehicles (have been checked), and thousands of people searched or investigated, but with no tangible results so far. It takes time, of course, to search all the houses in Delhi and I don’t know where else, but will my husband’s heart resist, may be, weeks of searching and investigating on the part of the police? Isn’t there another solution to end the nightmare in which the Romanian and his family have been living for five days now?
“This isn’t the first kidnapping in India and there were previous cases in which the government complied with the demands of kidnappers in order to save the life of the captives. Tam deeply worried at the Indian government sack of response along this line in relation to my husband kidnapping. The more so as an innocent man, a foreign diploma is involved in India’s internal mater, his life being in serious danger.
“I appeal to the Indian government to take those measures that will lead to the immediate are
release of my husband. Police action not to leave a stone unturned until they find hunt is not enough. I appeal to the militants to adopt a kind attitude towards my husband who is in the way related to their problems and show patience until peaceful solutions found.
“I appeal to all foreign missions in New Delhi and elsewhere, to public opinion worldwide, to decision making factor, to take action and persuade both the Indian authorities and the militant that everything, should be done for the immediate release of my husband.
“Every passing hour can do immense, it reparable harm to my husband’s health. There is no time for long term plans of investigation and research, Result yielding action must be taken now. Today, my husband’s life is in anger tomorrow, next week, next month, any innocent man any foreign diplomat might find himself in the same situation.
Radu revealed in reply to newsmen’s questions that her counties foreign minister had contacted his Pakistan and Indian counterpart. He had also spoken to her. She said she had received a call form militants making the solution of the three militants. When her attention was drawn to militants” demand for the release of certain Sikhs held in Romania, Radu said that her country’s response would depend on India’s response.
Radu did not reject outright the suggestion that perhaps India was not making adequate efforts because the diplomat involved was a Romanian and not, say, an American. She said she along wither children would go on hunger strike if Indian govt did not try the “other way” to seek her husband’s release. She said she would not like to stay on in India after her husband’s release. “The Indian govt would not like me very much, but I can’t let him die there”.
An Indian govt spokesman later said the Romanian govt had assured this country that Radus views did not represent that govt’s views. Nevertheless, we respect Radus views”, the spokesman added.
Indian govt Monday said the views of the wife of the kidnapped Romanian diplomat was Caterina Radu accusing it of apathy in securing his release were not the views of the Romanian govt.
An external affairs ministry spokesman told newsmen that India’s discussions and contacts with Romanian govt at all levels “makes it clear that the sentiments expressed by Radu were not the views of the Romanian govt on any of the issues raised by her”.
He said the govt appreciated and sympathized with the fact that Mrs. Radu was greatly overawed” and that there was a “strong clement of personal anguish in what she said n public in Delhi on Sunday.
Radu had accused the Indian govt of not doing enough to secure the release of her husband and threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike from October 15 if nothing tangible came out by then.
The spokesman declined to divulge details of the telephonic conversation the Romanian, foreign minister had with his Indian counterpart, Madhavsingh Solanki saying “there was nothing special to report.”
Article extracted from this publication >> October 18, 1991
