THE parents of US journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for three months, say they have not heard from him since he disappeared as they appealed for his release.
Speaking to the media in Beirut, Mark and Debra Tice said they had not been contacted by any party holding the 31-year-old, a contributor to The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers, among other publications.
"We know that we're not the only family that's suffering. Austin's silence gave us some understanding about the anxieties and uncertainty that so many families in this part of world face," his father said.
"We ask whoever is holding Austin to treat him well and keep him safe and return him to us as soon as possible."
The couple said they believe Austin was reporting from the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which had come under fierce regime shelling, when he went missing on August 13.
The eldest of their seven children, he had been in frequent communication with them via Facebook and other social media after he covertly crossed into Syria from Turkey in May, a common practice due to severe media restrictions imposed by the Damascus regime.
A video of Austin which surfaced on September 26 had not yielded any clues about his whereabouts or the suspected kidnappers, they said.
"We really have no idea who is holding our son," said Mark Tice.
"We have been in touch directly and indirectly with people in the Syrian government. They indicated that they don't know where Austin is."
US officials believe Tice is being held by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which is fighting an armed rebellion triggered by a bloody crackdown on democracy protests that broke out in March 2011.
Asked if Washington was investigating, Debra Tice said they had been given "appropriate and amazing support".
"Our search for our son and our decision to come to this area was driven by the fact that we want to expand our effort and put ourselves in a position of being available for contact," the mother said.
"Someone knows where our son is and we are beseeching that person to reach out to us," she said.
Ten journalists have been killed since the Syria uprising erupted, including five foreigners, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Before becoming a war correspondent in January, Tice served as a captain in the US Marines and was deployed on combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
His parents said the Syrian conflict would remain part of their lives even after their son's release.
"Sometimes I feel that maybe I have a Middle Eastern heart," Debra Tice said. "I think that my admiration for the culture and my love for the people and my enjoyment for the food is going to be a lifelong affinity."
"It's impossible for an experience like this not to stay with you," her husband said.
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