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Held Captive In Peru

Almost every big shot in Lima, the capital of Peru, was invited to the party on December 17. More than 600 guests had arrived at the mansion of Japanese ambassador Morihisa Aoki. Even Peru's President Alberto Fujimori, the son of Japanese immigrants, was expected. His mother, brother and sister were already there.

Suddenly the party came to a crashing halt. About 25 masked rebels belonging to a group called the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement stormed the house. Police and rebels began shooting at each other, and partygoers hit the floor. The rebels shouted, "Don't lift your head, or it'll be shot off!" They seized control and took all the guests hostage.

From the start, the rebels began releasing their captives. They freed about 200, including the women, on the night of the raid. Last Wednesday seven more hostages were let go.

But at week's end, the rebels still held 74 people. In return for their release, the rebels are demanding the freedom of 400 fellow rebels who are in jail.

Tupac Amaru rebels have often used terrorism. The group named itself after an Inca leader who resisted Spanish conquerors in the 1500s. Tupac Amaru means "royal serpent" in Quechua (ketch-oo-ah), the Inca language.

President Fujimori says he will not make any deals until the rebels let all hostages go. Peru's people want the crisis settled without bloodshed. Last week demonstrators marched through Lima chanting, "Enough of terrorism! We want peace!"

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