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Jul 20, 2008 10:40 pm US/Eastern

Miami Colombians Push For Release Of More Hostages

MIAMI (CBS4) ―

Hundreds of hostages are still being held by Colombian rebel forces, and Miami's Colombian community was quick to point this out on Independence Day, holding a rally in Miami and remembering the victims at a festival in West Dade.

Even though former presidential hopeful Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. citizens were freed from captivity of the FARC, the Colombians in Miami and abroad want to bring attention that the rebel forces still hold many prisoners captive. In front of the Colombian Embassy in Coral Gables, Colombians danced, waved flags and sang as they praised the Colombian President and asked that more hostages be freed.

"We are using the occasion to commemorate the thousands of Colombians that are being held hostage in the jungles of Colombia," said Colombian-American Francisco Castro.

At the Colombian Independence Festival, U.S. soldiers marched to the stage at the Expo Centre in Tamiami Park with a boxed American flag that was previously flown on Capitol Hill. The flag was presented by U.S. Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who will then present it to Colombian Consul, Luis Ignacio Guzman. Both the Colombian and American flags will be raised during their anthems.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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