Police to work with Kopassus to free hostages

Police to work with Kopassus to free hostages

JAKARTA (JP): Police will coordinate with the Army's Special
Force (Kopassus) to rescue the 16 hostages currently being held
by separatist rebels at a remote jungle location in Irian Jaya,
National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said on Wednesday.

"Community leaders can continue to negotiate, but should all
negotiation efforts fail, Kopassus and our own bomb squad will
help police officers secure the safety of the hostages," he told
reporters.

"The lives of hostages are of primary importance to us," he
said, "police could have sent its forces to attack the abductors,
but that would be risking the hostages' lives."

The 16 hostages, including three South Koreans, were allegedly
abducted by separatists led by Willem Onde of the Papua
Liberation National Army (TPN Papua), a faction of the Merauke-
based separatist movement, the Free Papua Organization (OPM).

Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Rear Marshall Graito
Usodo, however, said that TNI headquarters has not yet decided
whether to launch the military operation.

"To date, we are still employing persuasive methods (to
resolve the situation)," Graito told a media conference at TNI
headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.

A member of the negotiation team revealed from Irian Jaya on
Wednesday that the 16 hostages are "in good condition".

"The hostages were given meat and fish to eat.

"They are located in the Kilometer 56 area of Asiki regency,
or about three kilometers away from Willem Onde's base on the
eastern part of the jungle district," negotiator Marius M., who
functioned as a courier, said from Asiki early on Wednesday.

Asiki district is about 12 hours drive from Merauke town,
which is located about 900 kilometers south of Irian Jaya's
capital Jayapura.

"The previous location (of the hostages) was in Kilometer 59,
but when the rebels saw Police Mobile Brigade troops the
abductors moved them to the swamp near Wara river," Marius said.

Marius is said to have departed for the Asiki jungle at noon
on Wednesday to continue negotiations at the rebel base.

He, along with one other negotiator, was also taking food and
communication equipment, as requested by Onde.

A military source said on Wednesday that there were two huts
in the area, each of which were being guarded by five armed
members of TPN Papua.

"The three South Koreans stay in one hut, while the other 13
hostages occupy the other," the source, who requested anonymity,
said.

Willem Onde was not available for the negotiations held on
Wednesday, after he was reportedly summoned by the highest
separatist leader of TPN, Indra Bernard Mawen, to a location on
the border of Papua New Guinea.

The hostages are employed by PT Korindo, a South Korean timber
company operating in the region.

The abductors demand US$1 million in compensation for
environmental damage, the withdrawal of Brimob forces from the
district of Asiki, and a total halt to logging.

In the worst recorded incident involving the TPN, a group of
rebels abducted 26 people in January 1996, including seven
Europeans, in the province's hinterland of Mapenduma. After
holding them in jungle camps for 4 months, the abductors released
15 hostages while nine others were rescued by troops.

Two Indonesian hostages were slaughtered by the rebels during
the rescue operation.

Merauke Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Mulyono, along with Assistant
for Intelligence of the Trikora Military command Col. Armin Tone,
Merauke district deputy Benyamin Simatupang, Kopassus's Tribuana
unit chief Lt. Col. Nus RHN and stand-by troops are closely
monitoring the situation in Asiki district. (02/35/edt/ylt)