The parents of Tanja Nijmeijer knew about her involvement with anti-government FARC guerillas in Colombia and tried to persuade her to come home, they said last night in a written statement.

They kept quiet about their daughter’s membership of the communist force because of fears for her safety, the statement said. They also asked the media to leave them alone.
Tanja’s story broke when her diaries were found and published in South American papers. It is unclear where she is now. Her parents last had contact with their daughter in May.