Rescue of hostages obstructed

JAKARTA (JP): Recent poor weather has prevented the Rajawali Military Command's special forces from intensifying their searches for the three logging workers still being held hostage by separatist rebels in the jungle of Irian Jaya.

Col. Frans Willem de Wanna, the force's leader, was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday that the force will continue with its efforts, and that the troops had been tracking the hostages using sniffer dogs.

Military helicopters have also dropped pamphlets calling on the kidnappers to release their prisoners.

The three hostages were part of a group of 16 people, all employees of PT Kamundan Raya, who were taken captive on Aug. 14 by a group of around 50 armed rebels led by a man identified as M. Yogi. Yogi was killed during one of the military operations recently.

Several days after the kidnapping, two of the hostages managed to escape, two others were released to deliver a letter from the rebels to the authorities and nine of the remaining 12 were rescued during a military operation last week.

The remaining three hostages have been identified as Tumadji, 19, La Arman, 27 and Maskun, 18.

The freed hostages were taken to the Tembagapura hospital. The agency quoted a doctor as saying that some of the hostages had wounds on their feet and hands.

Yesterday, Tom Beanal, a leader of the Amungme tribe and leader of the Timika-based Indonesian Environmental Forum was questioned as witness of the kidnapping, Antara reported. Beanal denied any involvement. (31)