Exxon boat crew members go missing
Exxon boat crew members go missing
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Armed men suspected of belonging to the rebel Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) kidnapped nine of 11 crew from a boat chartered by PT
ExxonMobil Indonesia to deliver supplies to workers at an
offshore oil exploration site in waters off North Aceh on Monday,
the local military said Tuesday.
Maj. Zainal Mutaqin said the nine crew of KM Pelangi were
abducted by a group of armed men who hijacked the vessel off the
Jambo Ayee coast on Sunday.
Their whereabouts remained unknown on Monday, Antara reported.
Zainal was quoted as saying in Lhokseumawe that the kidnappers
approached the ill-fated boat aboard two fishing boats.
"The hijackers then pointed guns at the crew members,
threatening them to turn over their boat and to return to the
Jamboo Ayee coastline," he added.
After the Pelangi arrived at the coast, the hijackers held
nine of the eleven crew members and ordered the remaining two,
identified as Sudarsono and Rustam, to drive Pelangi away.
After a tipoff, security forces found the boat and the two
crew members in the Malaka Strait on Sunday night.
The Pelangi and two crew members were later taken to Guest
Marine, owned by natural gas liquefaction company PT Arun NGL,
under tight escort by security personnel accompanied by a number
of other boats hired by PT Exxon.
Zainal said the abductors were members of the rebel Free Aceh
Movement (GAM).
GAM leaders could not be reached for comment on the
accusations.
The nine abducted victims are Yudi Sumardi, who was the
captain of the boat, and his crew members -- Iren Latinus,
Thamrin, Ikhsan, Asep, Juandi, Suryo, Siswanto and Karna.
Zainal said military personnel had been deployed in the hunt
for the kidnappers in an effort to release the nine people being
held hostage.
It was the latest abduction case blamed by the military on the
separatist rebels.
Earlier, at least 12 female students were taken hostage by
GAM, who later released them unharmed. Most recently, nine
sportsmen were abducted by unidentified armed people after
returning from a local sports competition.