DAYS AFTER Íngrid Betancourt and other hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were freed, Latin America is awash with speculation that the 'daring rescue' by Colombian security forces described glowingly in the Western media may have been more a public relations stunt than a military operation. 'There has definitely been disinformation about what happened during the rescue of Íngrid Betancourt and the 13 other hostages of the FARC,' media watchdog Maryclen Stelling said on television in Venezuela. 'The first version given by the Colombian government makes us believe in innocent guerrillas, without malice, who were fooled into bringing [the hostages] to the helicopter. However, rescues aren't so marvelous even in Hollywood.' Some analysts believe that a hostage release had already been arranged due to the work of the French government, and that the Colombia army swept in at the last minute to get the credit by portraying it as a rescue. There is even speculation that millions of dollars were given to FARC commanders in exchange for Betancourt and the other hostages.
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