Govt asks ICRC for help to get Fery

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Makassar

The government appointed on Monday the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as the facilitator in an effort to release cameraman Fery Santoro, who has been held hostage by Free Aceh Movement (GAM) since June last year.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday that the government would work closely with the ICRC to establish a mechanism to release the cameraman from RCTI television station.

"We want GAM to release him and shall seek a mechanism and ways to realize him as soon as possible," Susilo said after a Cabinet meeting led by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

He added that the government expected that the release could proceed as smoothly as that for American journalist William Nessen last year.

"We hope that GAM will not discriminate against Fery, so we can find simple and effective ways to release him," Susilo added.

GAM has demanded that the release of Fery and other hostages should be mediated via the ICRC.

Asked whether the government had fulfilled GAM's demand for the involvement of the ICRC in the release of Fery, Susilo said," GAM feels more comfortable with the ICRC."

Susilo insisted that the ICRC would cooperate with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) in facilitating the release of Fery, instead of negotiating with GAM.

The government will set up a team led by secretary to the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Sudi Silalahi to negotiate with GAM, the minister said.

"The team will consist of senior officials from the government, military and police. They will go to Aceh tomorrow," Susilo said.

PMI chairman Mar'ie Muhamamd claimed ICRC and PMI would facilitate the release, meaning that they were ready to pick up the hostages whenever and wherever GAM would hand them over to the humanitarian mission.

"We are not negotiating with GAM. The negotiation will be conducted by the government team and GAM," Mar'ie said after a meeting with Susilo.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto dismissed a two-day cease-fire demanded by GAM as terms for the release of the television journalist.

"We saw that Nessen was set free, so there is no reason for GAM to make it more difficult for us over the release of Fery," Endriartono said. Fery and RCTI senior reporter Ersa Siregar, along with three other civilians -- their driver Rachmatsyah and two women -- were intercepted by the separatist rebels on May 29.

Rachmatsyah managed to escape during a shoot-out between the military and GAM on Dec. 12. Over two weeks later Ersa was killed during a raid by TNI soldiers on a group of rebels in remote Aleu Matang Arun village, Simpang Ulim subdistrict, East Aceh.

Meanwhile, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, several journalist groups, including the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Indonesian Television Journalists Union (IJTI), awarded posthumously the Peace Journalism Award to Ersa.

The award was handed over on Sunday night to Ersa's family by RCTI in a ceremony to commemorate the seventh day of his death.

"We see that Ersa had engaged in peace journalism through his work in conflict areas. He did not simply report the conflict, but also reported on victims of the conflict, especially civilians," AJI Makassar chapter chairman Muannas said on Monday.