Colombian Green Ingrid Betancourt - Free at Last

03-07-08 "I am thrilled and delighted that Ingrid Betancourt is free after being held captive for six years and 159 days”, said Greens MP Sue Pennicuik today.

"News reached us this morning that Ingrid had been rescued along with three Americans who had been held for five years and eleven other hostages.

On her release, Ms Betancourt described how she and the other hostages had been handcuffed and loaded on to a helicopter, expecting to be moved to a different rebel camp. Once they were in the air, "something happened, I’m not quite sure what", she said, and her captors were on the floor. A soldier said: 'We are the Colombian National Army; you are free.' The helicopter nearly fell out of the sky with all the celebrations." She said that she still aspired "to serve Colombia as president". * More ABC News story on the rescue Video of Ingrid Betancourt at the Global Greens congress in Canberra, 2001