Hostage freed during rehearsal

Hostage freed during rehearsal

JAKARTA (JP): It was a swift operation -- even for a practice
run. It took less than 15 minutes for the black clad soldiers to
neutralize the rebels on top of a high building in Surabaya and
free the hostage.

Members of the special unit from the Brawijaya Military
Command scaled the tower, firing the entire way, and managed to
free the hostage unharmed after wounding the rebels.

This mock hostage taking was part of a demonstration by a 40-
strong specially trained unit at the Brawijaya Command
Headquarters on Sunday, according to a dispatch by the Antara.

It was the main attraction at a ceremony marking the 49th
anniversary of the command that oversees the security of East
Java.

In this scenario, a rebel organized demonstration was
purposely turned into a violent riot. As the military moved in on
them, the rebels abducted a top government official in
desperation.

The ceremony also included a display of synchronized martial
arts, aerobics and a drill demonstration by the troops.

Brawijaya Military Command Chief Maj. Gen. Haris Sudarno,
reading a message from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wismoyo
Arismunandar, said that the command must be constantly prepared
for potential threats from within or outside its jurisdiction.
(emb)