Bad weather halts hostage return
Bad weather halts hostage return
JAKARTA (JP): Bad weather yesterday virtually ruled out any fresh development in the talks between the military and Irian Jaya rebels for the release of 14 people, including six Europeans, who were taken hostage on Jan. 8.
Antara reported that worsening condition in the Mapunduma area, where the rebels have settled in, made it impossible for the military to send in helicopters to bring medicines, food and cigarettes as demanded by the rebels.
The plan for Frank Momberg, the German hostage who was sent by the rebels to take their message to the military on Monday, to rejoin his 14 colleagues was also delayed.
The military has set up a command post in the town of Wamena about 160 kilometers or half an hour flight from Mapunduma.
A plane-load of senior military officers who came from Jakarta could not land in Wamena because of the bad weather. The officers include Rear Admiral Soeratmin, the Assistant for Operation to the Chief of General Affairs, Assistant for Intelligence Maj. Gen. Yusuf Kartanegara and Brig. Gen. Marubessy.
Brig. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, the chief of the Special Force Command, is in Wamena to supervise the military operation. Yesterday, he reported to Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung in Jakarta on the situation in the field.
The red-beret force is the Army's most fearsome force with long experience in putting down rebellions and counter terrorist activities.
The military has virtually ruled out using force to free the hostages, saying that it was still using persuasion to guarantee the safety of the hostages, and ultimately secure their release.
The rebels had not made any ransom demands, but a source close to the negotiations said they are calling for the recognition of a separate state in Irian Jaya.
Antara reported that the military and the rebels continued their contacts yesterday by radio which could also be monitored by local people and missionaries in the area.
The 14 hostages are members of a flora and fauna expedition in the Lorentz nature reserve in central Irian Jaya. They comprise four Britons, two Dutch citizens and eight Indonesians, including four from Jakarta. (emb)