Gunmen Abduct Colombian Congressman Near Rebel Zone

Unidentified armed men kidnapped a Colombian congressman Tuesday as he drove from his coffee farm through an area with a heavy rebel presence, his assistant said.

Rep. Orlando Beltran Cuellar, a member of the opposition Liberal Party, was forced out of his car by the men on the road from Gigante to the city of Neiva in Huila province, about 155 miles southwest of the capital, Bogota, said the assistant, Alberto Tovar. The gunmen allowed the congressman’s chauffeur to go free.

Huila is just across a mountain range from a demilitarized enclave controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a rebel group that admits to relying on kidnapping ransoms for much of its income.

Known by the Spanish initials FARC, the Marxist-inspired guerrillas announced in June that they would begin a new kidnap campaign targeting lawmakers, judges and government ministers to exchange for imprisoned rebels.

Only a month ago, the FARC staged a spectacular raid on an apartment building in an upscale district of Neiva--making off with at least 15 people, including another congressman’s wife and the couple’s two young sons.

Security officials said those hostages were driven off in the direction of the demilitarized zone--granted to the FARC by President Andres Pastrana to begin peace talks 2 1/2 years ago. Security forces are banned from entering the area.

At least two other members of Congress are being held hostage.

The army is pursuing an offensive against the FARC in Guaviare province, east of Huila, and says it has killed at least 50 guerrillas in 22 days.