Govt asks ICRC for help to get Fery
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.