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)