ABRI reports 14 kidnapped in Irian Jaya

ABRI reports 14 kidnapped in Irian Jaya

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) is looking
into reports that 14 people, including seven westerners, have
been kidnapped in Irian Jaya.

The 14 people may have been kidnapped by Free Papua Movement
(OPM) rebels at the famous Baliem Valley in the Jayawijaya
regency on Sunday, according to an Antara report.

ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo said yesterday the
authorities want to determine if the kidnapping involves rebels,
or local people offended by the aliens' presence at their sacred
place.

"If the reports (on kidnapping) are true, ABRI is responsible
for their release because the incident took place in Indonesian
territory," Suwarno was quoted by Antara as saying.

"ABRI guaranties the safety of foreigners who live in
Indonesia," Suwarno said.

Antara said it obtained information on the abduction from
foreign embassies in Jakarta and from Irian Jaya government
officials.

A German diplomat said the embassy received a report on
Tuesday that two Dutchmen, four Britons and a German along with
seven Indonesians were held captive by unidentified groups of
people.

An official of the Jakarta office of the World Wildlife Fund,
who declined to be named, said that two of the abducted
Westerners were its researchers. "We are collecting more
information and will report on the findings to the victims'
families," the WWF source told The Jakarta Post.

A diplomat overseeing political affairs at the British
embassy, John Virgoe, said that one of the kidnapped Britons was
a biologist.

Iem G. Roos, counselor for cultural and press affairs of the
Netherlands embassy told the Post yesterday that he has also
heard of the news on the kidnapping. "We cannot confirm anything
yet. Yes, we heard about the report but we will check further
with the Indonesian authorities," he said.

Antara reported there is a possibility that some of the
Westerners are Christian missionaries.

Secretary to the Jayawijaya regency government Fransiskus
Christantus said the local authorities are finding out the names
of the victims. "The incident took place in a remote area and
the complete account is hard to get due to the absence of
telecommunication facilities," he said.

OPM rebels, who have been waging low-level armed rebellions,
have been escalating their activities in recent weeks, possibly
to attract international attention of their cause.

Earlier this month, the separatists held captive two senior
high school students in the capital of Jayapura and demanded a
ransom of Rp 40 million (about $17,000) for their release. The
Indonesian government has refused to bow to the captors' demand.

The Irian Jaya police command has set up two special teams to
track down the rebels that kidnapped the students.

The authorities in Irian Jaya said the students are currently
being held in Papua New Guinea, which shares a common border with
Irian Jaya.

The incident has moved the Indonesian government to discuss
the possibility of an extradition treaty with Papua New Guinea.
(01/31/pan)