Government, GAM differ on plan to free hostages

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government claimed to have reached an agreement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) over the release of RCTI cameraman Fery Santoro and two women who were taken hostage by the rebels group more than six months ago.

"We have reached a deal. GAM has good intentions to release the hostages, particularly RCTI cameraman Fery Santoro," claimed Sudi Silalahi, the secretary to the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

GAM had informed him that they would release 11 civilian hostages, but they later reduced that to three. Sudi fell short of elaborating the reason and the arrangement of the release.

"They have yet to decide on how and when they would release the hostages. They still are waiting for an order from their leadership in Sweden," Sudi said at his office on Tuesday, referring to GAM leader-in-exile and now Swedish citizen Hasan Tiro.

Sudi, who is leading the government team in the negotiations with GAM over the hostages, said developments had been achieved in the effort to release the hostages due to GAM's willingness to free them.

The GAM commander holding the hostages, Ishak Daud, said he was ready to free all of the captives, but maintained that a two- day ceasefire and withdrawal of all military troops from Peureulak district were the conditions for their release.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post by phone, Ishak said that the GAM commander-in-chief Muzakkir Manaf had ordered him to release the captives to prevent more unexpected incidents.

"I have talked to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) representatives over the conditions during a meeting on Jan. 9. Two days ago (Monday), I held the latest talks with Iyang D. Sukandar from PMI (Indonesian Red Cross) and we have not given up on our demands," Ishak said.

The government has allowed the ICRC and PMI to help facilitate the transfer of the hostages from the rebels. Iyang is the PMI secretary-general.

Ishak accused the military of launching an operation to search for him and the hostages over the past few days. Some villagers had been abducted, and children had been beaten and kicked during questioning, according to Ishak.

There are an estimated 100 civilians, including Fery and two wives of the Air Force officers, Cut Farida and her sister Cut Soraya, being held hostage by GAM.

Most likely due to exhaustion and illness, Soraya, who was two months pregnant when GAM captured her on June 29 last year, reportedly had a miscarriage last month.

"Please, ask the military to listen to GAM's demand. I'm a mother of three, I really want to see my children. I don't want to be killed here," Farida told the Post by phone recently from an undisclosed area in the regency.

"My sister has been in mourning since she lost her baby, and then we found out that Ersa was killed. I don't think that I can cry any more," Farida added.

Earlier in the day, President of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Christopher Warren held a meeting with Brig. Gen. Alex Bambang Riatmojo, who heads the communications division at Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's office.

Warren said the IFJ was seeking a clear indication from the Indonesia government that it would continue its efforts to release Fery as journalists across the world were frustrated by Jakarta's sluggishness in dealing with the civilian hostages. The indecisiveness cost the life of RCTI journalist Sory Ersa Siregar on Dec. 29.

"I think over the past few weeks the Indonesia government has been trying to achieve the release of Fery and we welcome it," Warren told reporters after the meeting.

However, he urged both the Indonesian government and GAM to stay focused on the central question on how to achieve the release of Fery and to provide a safe environment for that to occur.

He said the hostage taking of Fery and Ersa had become one of the most important cases of press freedom assaults in the world today.

"It's the most significant hostage taking in the world and that's very important for all journalists in the world that the attacks on journalists in Aceh are part of a global attack on journalists carrying out their jobs in 2003," Warren said.