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Betancourt is seeking damages

BOGOTA, Colombia - Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt has asked Colombia's government to pay her $6.8 million for damages she suffered during six years in rebel captivity.

BOGOTA, Colombia - Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt has asked Colombia's government to pay her $6.8 million for damages she suffered during six years in rebel captivity.

The request was made public Friday by the government, which expressed surprise and consternation.

Betancourt was kidnapped in 2002 by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, while campaigning for president in Colombia's south, a rebel stronghold. She was among 15 captives, including three Americans, rescued in 2008 by Colombia's military in an elaborate ruse after months of preparation.

Betancourt, 48, a dual French and Colombian citizen who now divides her time between New York and Paris, did not respond to e-mails regarding her request, which was filed June 30 with the Defense Ministry and sought the payment not just for Betancourt but also for her two children, mother, and sister.

Colombia's Defense Ministry said Betancourt had no grounds to hold the state responsible. It noted that she had called the rescue operation "perfect" and that, before her abduction, she did not heed authorities' "insistent recommendations" not to travel to the area where she was seized.