The father of a missing backpacker feared dead in Central America said yesterday (Monday) he had not given up hope of finding his son alive.

Brian Winder said his son Paul, and his travelling companion, could have been murdered or kidnapped by paramilitary groups in the notoroius Darian Gap on the Panama/Colombia border.

Merchant banker Paul, 29, a former pupil at Chelmsford's St John Payne School, has been missing since March. He was travelling to find orchids with botanist Tom Hartdyke, 24, from Kent.

Mr Winder, of Great Baddow, said there was a small hope the pair may have been kidnapped by guerrillas and a ransom demand might yet be made for them.

"It has been known that hostages have been released after many months incommunicado. But the hope is small. It is very frustrating and worrying."

Paul was a keen traveller and had toured Asia and Africa.

"This was going to be his last trip before settling down," added Mr Winder.

The Winder family, Brian, Anne and sons Billy and Kevin, had a card from Paul dated March 7 and an e-mail at the same time saying it would take Paul a fortnight to get through the jungle, but not indicating the exact direction in which they were going.

The family started worrrying in April, and early in May they contacted the Foreign Office and the Panamian and Colombian embassies. All came back saying they had no news.

Mr Winder went to Panama in mid-June to try to establish what route the pair took to go in to Colombia. He discovered they had picked up two Colombian guides and travelled east from Paya through the jungle.

After about three days trekking, the two should have come out at Unguia, but they never emerged. They were last seen alive on March 13.

Oxfam has been asked to help trace the men. A spokesman for the charity said he was hoping to speak to contacts in the area later today to plan publicity about the pair to groups in the area.

"It is a sparsely populated area and one of the wettest in the world. It is very difficult to get around," he added.

Missing - Keen traveller Paul Winder

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