Colombians denounce kidnappings

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have flooded the streets of the country's major cities in a mass protest to demand the immediate liberation of hostages held by various armed groups. Marches and ''human chains'' were staged in different cities from the Amazon jungle outpost of Leticia to the Caribbean city of Cartagena. >

At midday, a cacophony of car horns, church bells and whistles resonated in major cities while Colombians waved their handkerchiefs in a protest called after 11 hostages held by leftist rebels were killed last month. <?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> > About 3,000 Colombians are being held by kidnappers, according to the anti-abduction citizens' group Pais Libre.
Wearing white T-shirts and waving flags, thousands marched on Bogota's main plaza. Leading the march was Alvaro Uribe, the president, whose shirt said ''Unconditional freedom now!" The demonstrations were the largest since October 1999, when an estimated five million Colombians joined in a nationwide protest against violence and kidnappings

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