NZ rescues hostage in RI: Newspaper
NZ rescues hostage in RI: Newspaper
AUCKLAND (AFP): Former New Zealand special forces soldiers staged a covert operation to rescue a Chinese-Indonesia businessman being held captive for five years in Indonesia, The New Zealand Herald reported here on Friday.
Johnson Cornelius Lo, who claims to be the heir to the Tiger Balm fortune, was reportedly held in a village near Yogyakarta until the New Zealand soldiers rescued him.
Lo had allegedly been held for ransom by a group of men, the newspaper reported.
Former soldiers of New Zealand's Special Air Services, working for private company Onix International Ltd., reportedly entered Indonesia through Bali to rescue him.
The Herald said Onix managing director Ken Whatuira, who fought in the Gulf War with the British SAS, is believed to have flown with an associate to Indonesia last September to meet trustees of Mr Lo's fortune and negotiate his release.
Attempts to free funds to meet ransom demands had fallen through because of tight controls on his bank accounts in Indonesia and Hong Kong.
"Top officials of Indonesia's new government are said to have become concerned about Mr Lo's plight but were too preoccupied with the country's political upheaval to intervene," the newspaper reported.
Lo's trustees gave Onix approval to call up reinforcements from New Zealand to stage the rescue operation in November.
Eight former SAS soldiers spent a week rehearsing a rescue plan. They then flew to Java by commercial aircraft through Brisbane and Bali, before buying two sports utility vehicles and driving to the village at night.
The Herald said the New Zealanders, wearing balaclavas and armed with batons, took less than a minute to snatch Lo, even though around a dozen villagers rallied around.
"There was no collateral damage, either physical or structurally, and that was vitally important," a former SAS sergeant said.
Whatuira was guarded about discussing the operation, but insisted no firearms were involved and that his men took care to ensure no innocent bystanders were hurt.
Whatuira was also reluctant to identify the village, other than to say it was somewhere in Central Java, but it is believed to be about an hour's drive from Yogyakarta.
The men involved in the mission are currently guarding the America's Cup as it is taken around New Zealand for victory parades.
The Herald said Lo was now in New Zealand on a visitor's permit and was using an Indonesian family name different from his Chinese name.