Kidnapped foreigners freed

JAKARTA (JP): The police have released four Malaysians and a Singaporean that were kidnapped on Sept. 17, after being questioned.

"They are no longer in police custody for questioning ... I believe they have been released," Jakarta police spokesman, Sr. Comr. Anton Bahrul Alam told The Jakarta Post.

Four Malaysians, namely Tan Lam Chuan, Lee Shi Fai, Lo Wan Teng and Baljit Khaur, and a Singaporean, Win Son Chiang, were kidnapped on Sept. 17 by persons unknown that demanded a US$2 million ransom from the victims' families.

All of the victims are employees of Singapore-based PT Promail, a multilevel marketing company.

Police found the victims on Sept. 21 when they raided a motel in the Ancol area, North Jakarta, while the kidnappers had already escaped.

The kidnappers ordered the victims to phone their families to convey the ransom demand.

The families reported the kidnapping to local police who later coordinated with Jakarta Police in the search.

Curiously, Andi Chaeruddin, the chief of North Jakarta Police, said that he knew neither about the kidnapping nor the raid. "There was no record of such a kidnapping in our area," he told The Post. (06)