Priests to negotiate with Irian Jaya rebels

Priests to negotiate with Irian Jaya rebels

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Church officials have assigned a
Catholic and Protestant priest to negotiate with a rebel group
from Irian Jaya who have currently taken two Belgian filmmakers
hostage.

Priest Theo van den Broek told reporters here over the weekend
that the rebels, who claimed to represent the National Liberation
Army for Free Papua (TPNP), under the leadership of Peni Murif,
had contacted the bishop of Irian Jaya to express their wish to
meet church leaders to negotiate demands and conditions for the
release of the hostages from the province's hinterland.

"They (the rebels) officially contacted the bishop of Irian
Jaya through SSB radio, saying they wanted to talk to us," van
den Broek said.

The church has named Rev. Benny Giay to accompany van den
Broek.

The two Belgians, identified as Johan Elia Theo van Dem Eynde,
47, and Philippe R.D. Simon, 49, went missing for some three
weeks while conducting research in Illaga district, Puncak Jaya
regency before rebels announced their capture.

According to van den Broek, the church is waiting for a letter
from the rebel group, which notifies the place of the meeting and
their demands.

Church representatives have asked for security guarantees from
both the local police and the rebels.

In a message to the province's bishop, the rebels also
demanded a guarantee that local inhabitants would not be involved
in the case.

"They demanded that locals should not be disturbed as they
don't want to repeat the Mapenduma incident," van den Broek
added, referring to the 1996 abduction case.

Van den Broek quoted the rebel group as saying that they did
not want local residents to be traumatized.

Meanwhile an official from the Belgian Embassy, Peter Klase,
said his compatriots often made journeys to remote places around
the world and liked to capture their adventures on film.

"The love for challenges and adventures probably caused Eynde
and Simon to ignore warnings given by local police in Paniai
about security conditions in the remote jungles," Klase told
reporters in Jayapura.

Klase speculated that the two Belgians were abducted somewhere
between the villages of Paniai and Sinak whilst on their way to
Illaga district as they were last seen by police in Paniai when
they notified local officers about their visit. (34/emf)