SAN JOSE DEL GUAVIARE, Colombia -- This remote ranching and jungle region 200 miles south of Bogotá is one of the historic heartlands of the Marxist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which continues to control large swaths of territory despite recent advances by the Colombian military.

The dramatic rescue last week of their most valuable hostages by Colombian soldiers disguised as guerrillas is a devastating humiliation for the insurgency, known as the FARC. Four of the 15 rescued hostages, particularly former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and the three American contractors, were the FARC's main bargaining chip in any possible negotiation with the Colombian or U.S. governments.

FEAR OF BACKLASH

With the hostages free, Guaviare residents are bracing for a FARC backlash, as the rebels try to recover their military pride. Police officials here say they are checking into reports that the guerrillas have executed 16 of their own people so far.

''We can't deny that this might cause public order problems in Guaviare,'' Giovanny Gómez, a local politician in Guaviare's regional assembly, told The Miami Herald on Saturday. ``We still don't know how the FARC is going to react. Those of us who work in political institutions travel frequently to rural areas, but now that's going to be restricted.''

People in areas controlled by the FARC believe they will now lash out as a way of reasserting their presence. They spoke on condition that their full names not be published for fear of reprisals.

''If you are working in health or education you can travel to the deepest corners of Guaviare,'' said Maria, a local official who recently visited Tomachipán, the town closest to the coca plantation where the hostages were rescued on Wednesday. ``For anyone else to enter that area it is very complicated. . . . Now everyone is frightened to travel. We want to stay alive.''

Orlando, who lives in a FARC-controlled area close to the rescue site, and who frequently meets FARC guerrillas passing through the zone, said: ``There are a lot of rumors that they are already preparing to retaliate against the army.''

Orlando said that the guerrillas ''seemed very active'' for a time following the Colombian military's killing of senior guerrilla leader Raúl Reyes in a bombing raid in March. But they did not act out against residents.

But many are concerned retaliation will come this time.

NO PROBLEMS YET

''Since the rescue there haven't been any public order problems -- not yet,'' said Pedro, a local government official in a rural area of Guaviare. ``They were blowing up bridges four or five years ago, but they haven't blown up energy towers, as they do in other parts of the country.

``I'm afraid the FARC could do something against us in retaliation. We have to be prudent, and be careful about going to areas where the people don't know us.''

Pedro said the FARC, which uses cocaine trafficking as a source of income, has shown their might in previous years.

''In 2001, they had a very strong presence. They would stop us and search us, and if they found coca paste (unrefined cocaine) the most likely thing is that they would shoot you,'' he said. ``There were a lot of deaths because of that. The FARC has a monopoly [on coca paste] but other people pay better, and the guerrillas often take the coca away on credit and pay a couple of months later.''

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