Authorities step up negotiations with rebels

Authorities step up negotiations with rebels

JAKARTA (JP): Irian Jaya local authorities on Friday stepped
up negotiation efforts with separatist rebels to free 16
hostages, including three Koreans, who have been held in the
province's jungle-clad Asiki district in Merauke regency since
Jan. 16.

"If everything goes smoothly, the two negotiators, Marius and
Fitalis, will bring rebel leader Willem Onde and the local
authorities to the negotiating table this (Friday) evening or
early Saturday," Irian Jaya Police Operations and Control chief
Sr. Comr. M. Kusnadi told The Jakarta Post by phone from
Jayapura.

The meeting is slated to take place at Kilometer 56 in Asiki,
or about three kilometers away from Onde's base.

The 16 hostages were seized by members of the Papua National
Liberation Army (TPN Papua), a faction of the Merauke-based
separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM).

Asiki district is about 12 hours drive from Merauke town.

Kusnadi said that "as long as Onde does not make any move that
could endanger the safety of the hostages, the authorities will
not arrest him. We respect his (Onde's) position in the
negotiations and want to hear what he has to say."

In any hostage situation, the safety of the victims comes
first and a "military rescue operation was the last resort so as
to avoid possible casualties", he said.

Newly-appointed Trikora Military Command chief Maj. Gen.
Mahidin Simbolon separately said that the authorities had yet to
set a date by which the hostages must be rescued, Antara said on
Friday.

"We're still engaged in negotiations. The hostages are said to
be in good condition and they are being kept in a rebel camp in
Merauke regency," Mahidin said.

The 16 hostages belong to PT Korindo, a South Korean timber
company operating in the region and were kidnapped on Jan. 16.

The abductors have demanded US$1 million in compensation for
environmental damage, the withdrawal of Police Mobile Brigade
(Brimob) forces from the district of Asiki, and a total halt to
logging.

Negotiations with the OPM rebel leader Mathias Wenda, who has
been arrested with 12 of his men by Papua New Guinea (PNG) police
for illegal entry and engaging in illegal activities in exchange
for the 16 hostages was unlikely.

"Wenda's men have violated the country's laws. If rebels can
freely push people around, abduct people and show disregard for
the law, it will set a bad precedent and every terrorist may jump
on the bandwagon and follow in their footsteps," Kusnadi said.

Irian Jaya rebels threatened on Friday to execute the
hostages, unless Papua New Guinea exchanged them for 13
guerrillas, including Mathias Wenda, who were arrested on Monday,
the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported.

The PNG Provincial Police Commander in Vanimo, Eugene Manguva,
responded to the OPM's demands by saying that Wenda and his
deputy would be subjected to the due process of law, and would
not be exchanged for the OPM hostages.

Max Rumbiak

In a related development, the police and military have yet to
reach a deal over "the handling" of the TPN's Col. Max Rumbiak
and Capt. Birmandus, who recently returned two rifles their men
seized from police officers in the remote Tour Atas district in
Jayapura on Dec. 25 of last year.

Max Rumbiak and Birmandus are now still being "protected" by
the Army even though the police want to take the two into
custody.

Of their own volition, Rumbiak and Birmandus handed over the
two rifles with ammunition in a simple ceremony at the East Coast
Military District Command headquarters on Wednesday.

Rumbiak, leader of the TPN in Bonggo area, said that the
Mauser and Jingle rifles were seized by Birmandus and his 12 men
from Police Mobile Brigade officers who were on duty in the area
on Christmas day.

After the seizure, two Brimob platoons were posted to the
district, and this had apparently made Rumbiak nervous.

Rumbiak told the Indonesian Military during the negotiations
that the reason he surrendered the rifles was that he didn't want
innocent civilians to become victims (of police anger).

However, the rebels demanded that their existence be
officially recognized, that Brimob forces be withdrawn from the
East Coast and Tour Atas districts and that security guarantees
be given. (edt/35/sur)