'No foreign intervention to free Irian hostages'

'No foreign intervention to free Irian hostages'

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government vowed on Wednesday to
use peaceful means in its attempt to release two Belgians held
hostage by armed separatist rebels in Irian Jaya.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Agum
Gumelar said that the Indonesian government continued seeking the
release of the two Belgians by "persuasion and dialog".

The efforts (to free the Belgians) are being done by local
security authorities who are cooperating with religious and
community leaders, Agum said.

"We are doing our best to make sure that no force is used to
settle the problem," Agum told journalists.

Agum convened a meeting on July 30 of senior officials under
his coordination from various ministries, the Army, the National
Commission on Human Rights, the Attorney General's Office and
representatives from the Irian military and police to discuss the
hostage crisis.

The Belgians, Johan Ella Theo Vandem Eynde, 47, and Phillipe
LD Simon, 49, both documentary filmmakers, are being held hostage
at the village of Paluga, Puncak Jaya regency.

The rebels have been identified as belonging to the Kelly
Kwalik group, who had previously abducted a group of local and
foreign researchers in 1996.

According to police in Irian Jaya, the two foreigners were
visiting the province as tourists on June 5. They insisted on
going to Ilaga the next day, although the police did not permit
them.

Agum reiterated that the Indonesian government would reject
any foreign intervention in the effort to release the hostages.

Jakarta also expressed the hope that the incident would not
affect bilateral ties between Indonesia and Belgium, the latter
being the country that currently chairs the European Union.