Fery hopes for release of all civilian captives

Fery hopes for release of all civilian captives

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

Cameraman Fery Santoro is valiantly maintaining hope for a
safe release for himself and dozens of other civilian hostages
held by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) -- despite failed attempts
involving the international and local Red Cross, and a fresh
incident on Monday in which a GAM spokesman was killed and a Red
Cross worker went missing.

"I hope the TNI (Indonesian Military) and GAM will reach an
agreement to rescue all civilians so we can reunite with our
families," Fery, who has been held for almost eight months, told
The Jakarta Post from an undisclosed location in East Aceh on
Tuesday.

"But if things remain like this, even a 10-day cease-fire
might not resolve it (the release of hostages)," he said, adding
that scores of troops surrounded the location each day. Fery's
colleague and fellow captive, journalist Sory Ersa Siregar, was
killed on Dec. 29 in what the TNI says was a gunfight with GAM
members.

The employee of RCTI TV station said his hopes for release
were renewed when the local GAM commander, Ishak Daud, told him
last week that Red Cross members were going to visit their
location and provide medication to villagers and GAM fighters.

He was taken to meet them on Sunday but on Monday a clash
occurred, after which he was told by Ishak that his spokesman,
Teungku Mansor, was killed.

A member of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) told journalists on
Tuesday that nine of them were rescued by the TNI following the
five-minute shootout in Bagok district, East Aceh.

"Unfortunately, one of us, Budiman Ramli, is still with GAM,"
Yunus Yahya said at the Military District Command Headquarters in
Langsa regency. He said a gunfight occurred shortly after
soldiers went on patrol in Keude Geurubak, Idi Rayeuk district.

Col. Andogo, a TNI strike force commander in eastern Aceh
territory, said soldiers were assigned to safeguard the PMI
members. The team had written permission from the martial law
administration in Jakarta and Nanggroe Aceh Darrusalam, he said.
But it turned out they changed their route and headed to the
north, away from Peureulak, he added. "Nevertheless we still
tried to guard them."

According to Ishak, the team had arrived in villages since
Saturday and was "intercepted" by TNI soldiers on their way to
GAM hideouts. Following the clash on Monday he said TNI
took away several boxes of drugs from the PMI team as well as
vehicles belonging to the humanitarian workers.

Mansor was killed by soldiers as he tried to welcome PMI
members, according to Ishak.

"Pak Iyang called me by phone, saying that he would come to
the site and meet Fery there directly. But as the situation
turned ugly, I realized that he was not there," Ishak said,
referring to PMI secretary-general Iyang Sukandar.

Iyang confirmed that the PMI managed to meet the civilians,
but he failed to do so himself following the clash between the
warring groups.

According to Yahya, a PMI member, before the clash the rebels
had earlier guided them to a hut and they had started treating
around 20 civilians, mostly women and children, who were
suffering from malaria and other diseases.