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.