[ti:US, Haiti Seek Release of 17 Missionaries Taken by Gang] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]United States officials are working with Haitian officials [00:04.36]to try to secure the release of 12 adults and five children [00:09.44]with a U.S.- based religious group. [00:13.44]All were taken over the weekend by members of a criminal group [00:18.16]known for killings and kidnappings. [00:23.28]The 16 Americans and one Canadian [00:27.12]are with Christian Aid Ministries. [00:31.48]They were taken by a group called 400 Mawozo. [00:37.36]The gang controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area [00:41.00]east of the capital Port-au-Prince, said a police official. [00:46.72]The kidnapping happened Saturday [00:49.32]in the community of Ganthier, which lies in the gang's area. [00:55.68]As officials sought the release of the 17 people, [01:00.04]local unions and other organizations [01:03.60]were set to launch a strike Monday [01:06.56]to protest Haiti's worsening security situation. [01:11.96]Haiti is again struggling with a rise in gang-related kidnappings, [01:17.40]which had lessened in recent months. [01:21.32]The rise in such crimes follows the murder [01:24.88]of President Jovenel Moise on July 7 and a powerful earthquake [01:30.28]that killed more than 2,200 people in August. [01:36.00]"Everyone is concerned. They're kidnapping [01:39.16]from all social classes," said Méhu Changeux. [01:44.36]He is president of Haiti's Association of Owners and Drivers. [01:51.44]He spoke on Haiti's Magik9 radio station. [01:56.88]He said the worker strike would continue [01:59.96]until the government could guarantee people's safety. [02:05.32]The kidnapping of the missionaries [02:07.36]came just days after high-level U.S. officials visited Haiti [02:12.32]and promised more resources for Haiti's National Police. [02:18.40]The U.S. State Department said Sunday [02:21.80]that it was in communication with senior Haitian officials [02:25.88]and would continue to work with them and other partners. [02:30.64]"The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad [02:34.28]is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State," [02:38.48]the agency said in a statement. [02:42.12]Christian Aid Ministries said the kidnapped group [02:45.84]included seven women, five men and five children, [02:50.36]including a 2-year-old. [02:53.92]The organization said the group was taken while on a trip [02:58.32]to visit an orphanage -- a home for children [03:01.72]who do not have living parents. [03:05.56]Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement, [03:08.92]"As an organization, we commit this situation to God [03:13.52]and trust him to see us through." [03:16.88]A yearly report published last year by Christian Aid Ministries [03:21.28]said its American workers had returned to their base in Haiti [03:25.84]after a nine-month break "due to political unrest." [03:31.16]It noted the difficulties that come from such unrest. [03:36.88]Nearly a year ago, Haitian police publicly sought [03:40.88]the supposed leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Wilson Joseph. [03:47.40]The police planned to charge him with murder, attempted murder, [03:52.52]kidnapping, car stealing and the hijacking of trucks carrying goods. [03:59.76]Joseph also goes by the name of "Lanmò Sanjou," [04:04.16]which means "death doesn't know which day it's coming." [04:09.44]As kidnapping cases rise, gangs have demanded money [04:13.68]in exchange for a person's return. [04:17.72]The gangs have at times asked for more than $1 million. [04:24.16]Sometimes they kill those they have kidnapped, officials report. [04:30.36]At least 328 kidnappings were reported [04:34.52]to Haiti's National Police in the first eight months of 2021, [04:40.36]compared with a total of 234 for all of 2020. [04:46.92]Those numbers come from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. [04:53.72]Gangs have been accused of kidnapping schoolchildren, doctors, [04:58.68]police officers, bus passengers and others as they grow more powerful. [05:06.12]In April, a man who claimed to be the leader of 400 Mawozo [05:11.60]told a radio station that the gang was responsible [05:15.32]for kidnapping five priests, two nuns [05:19.04]and three family members of one of the priests that month. [05:24.84]The people were later released. [05:28.52]The increase in kidnappings and gang-related violence [05:32.52]has forced Haitians to avoid some gang-controlled areas. [05:38.68]Others choose to stay home. [05:42.44]This, in turn, means less money for people like Charles Pierre. [05:49.24]He is a moto taxi driver in Port-au-Prince. [05:53.28]He has several children to feed. [05:57.36]"People are not going out in the streets," he said. [06:01.44]"We cannot find people to transport." [06:05.88]I'm Jonathan Evans. [06:08.08]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM