Irian abductors do not represent locals: Ex-hostage<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The rebels who kidnapped researchers in Irian
\nJaya were a dangerous and unpredictable small group not
\nrepresentative of the majority of Irianese, a former hostage
\nstated yesterday.<\/p>\n
Mark van der Wall said the abductors, who claimed to represent
\nthe Free Papua Movement (OPM), appeared not to have much interest
\nin the locals' desires and needs.<\/p>\n
\"People in the villages were always kind and hospitable. They
\ntreated us as guests, as brothers and sisters,\" the researcher
\nfrom the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said.<\/p>\n
Van der Wall was one of the nine Lorentz researchers held
\ncaptive from Jan. 8 until the Army freed them on May 15.<\/p>\n
The WWF had two of its personnel kidnapped. The other was
\nFrank Momberg, who was released with one other hostage less than
\ntwo weeks after they were seized by the rebels.<\/p>\n
Two Indonesian hostages were hacked to death by their
\nabductors. Six of the hostages were Europeans. Rebels Kelly
\nKwalik and Daniel Yudas Kogoya initially seized 26 people, but
\nsoon released most of them.<\/p>\n
Van der Wall said the people living in Lorentz, where the four
\nmonth drama took place, want only to live their lives with
\ndignity and to share the fruits of development, such as health
\nservices and education.<\/p>\n
\"These are not matters which seemed to be of any concern
\nwhatever to the leader of the kidnappers,\" the Dutch citizen said
\nin a statement made available to the press by WWF.<\/p>\n
Van der Wall recounted that until the Army rescue, the local
\nvillagers shared their food and made sacrifices on the hostages'
\nbehalf.<\/p>\n
\"Toward the end, they told us that they were as anxious as we
\nwere that we be allowed to return to our families and our normal
\nlives.<\/p>\n
\"But Kelly Kwalik proved he had no interest in the will of the
\npeople or in their welfare when he broke his promise to release
\nus peacefully on May 8,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Van der Wall said the local people faced food shortages and
\nmistrust arising from the rebels broken promises.<\/p>\n
\"The villagers deserve our thanks and will need help from the
\noutside in recovering from the problems that the OPM caused them
\nby forcibly holding us in their tribal areas,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The researchers were held captive in the mountain village of
\nMapnduma. The government at first tried peaceful approaches,
\ninvolving church leaders and the International Committee on the
\nRed Cross, to secure their release.<\/p>\n
Russel Betts, former director and senior adviser to the WWF
\nIndonesia Programme, praised the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI)
\nfor launching the military operation after the persuasive
\napproach failed.<\/p>\n
\"WWF Indonesian Programme gladly joins the many others in
\nthanking ABRI for the way in which it managed the overall
\nconsistent pursuit, until the very end, of its policy of peaceful
\npersuasion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"WWF's only deep regret is the brutal murders of its two
\ncolleagues from the Biological Sciences Club only minutes before
\nthe surviving hostages were rescued,\" he said. (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/irian-abductors-do-not-represent-locals-ex-hostage-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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