Police to work with Kopassus to free hostages<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police will coordinate with the Army's Special
\nForce (Kopassus) to rescue the 16 hostages currently being held
\nby separatist rebels at a remote jungle location in Irian Jaya,
\nNational Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"Community leaders can continue to negotiate, but should all
\nnegotiation efforts fail, Kopassus and our own bomb squad will
\nhelp police officers secure the safety of the hostages,\" he told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
\"The lives of hostages are of primary importance to us,\" he
\nsaid, \"police could have sent its forces to attack the abductors,
\nbut that would be risking the hostages' lives.\"<\/p>\n
The 16 hostages, including three South Koreans, were allegedly
\nabducted by separatists led by Willem Onde of the Papua
\nLiberation National Army (TPN Papua), a faction of the Merauke-
\nbased separatist movement, the Free Papua Organization (OPM).<\/p>\n
Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Rear Marshall Graito
\nUsodo, however, said that TNI headquarters has not yet decided
\nwhether to launch the military operation.<\/p>\n
\"To date, we are still employing persuasive methods (to
\nresolve the situation),\" Graito told a media conference at TNI
\nheadquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
A member of the negotiation team revealed from Irian Jaya on
\nWednesday that the 16 hostages are \"in good condition\".<\/p>\n
\"The hostages were given meat and fish to eat.<\/p>\n
\"They are located in the Kilometer 56 area of Asiki regency,
\nor about three kilometers away from Willem Onde's base on the
\neastern part of the jungle district,\" negotiator Marius M., who
\nfunctioned as a courier, said from Asiki early on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Asiki district is about 12 hours drive from Merauke town,
\nwhich is located about 900 kilometers south of Irian Jaya's
\ncapital Jayapura.<\/p>\n
\"The previous location (of the hostages) was in Kilometer 59,
\nbut when the rebels saw Police Mobile Brigade troops the
\nabductors moved them to the swamp near Wara river,\" Marius said.<\/p>\n
Marius is said to have departed for the Asiki jungle at noon
\non Wednesday to continue negotiations at the rebel base.<\/p>\n
He, along with one other negotiator, was also taking food and
\ncommunication equipment, as requested by Onde.<\/p>\n
A military source said on Wednesday that there were two huts
\nin the area, each of which were being guarded by five armed
\nmembers of TPN Papua.<\/p>\n
\"The three South Koreans stay in one hut, while the other 13
\nhostages occupy the other,\" the source, who requested anonymity,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Willem Onde was not available for the negotiations held on
\nWednesday, after he was reportedly summoned by the highest
\nseparatist leader of TPN, Indra Bernard Mawen, to a location on
\nthe border of Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n
The hostages are employed by PT Korindo, a South Korean timber
\ncompany operating in the region.<\/p>\n
The abductors demand US$1 million in compensation for
\nenvironmental damage, the withdrawal of Brimob forces from the
\ndistrict of Asiki, and a total halt to logging.<\/p>\n
In the worst recorded incident involving the TPN, a group of
\nrebels abducted 26 people in January 1996, including seven
\nEuropeans, in the province's hinterland of Mapenduma. After
\nholding them in jungle camps for 4 months, the abductors released
\n15 hostages while nine others were rescued by troops.<\/p>\n
Two Indonesian hostages were slaughtered by the rebels during
\nthe rescue operation.<\/p>\n
Merauke Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Mulyono, along with Assistant
\nfor Intelligence of the Trikora Military command Col. Armin Tone,
\nMerauke district deputy Benyamin Simatupang, Kopassus's Tribuana
\nunit chief Lt. Col. Nus RHN and stand-by troops are closely
\nmonitoring the situation in Asiki district. (02\/35\/edt\/ylt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-to-work-with-kopassus-to-free-hostages-1447893297",
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