RI thanks PNG for helping free hostages

RI thanks PNG for helping free hostages

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government thanked Port Moresby yesterday for helping to release two Indonesian high school students who were abducted by Irian Jaya separatist rebels and taken across the border to Papua New Guinea.

The hostages, Marwiyah Abubakar and Basyir Kadir, were held hostage from Nov. 22 to Jan. 29 in the Papua New Guinea province of Sandaun near the two countries' border.

"The Indonesian government would like to express its gratitude and highest respect to the Papua New Guinea government which has handed over the two hostages to the Indonesian Consulate in Vanimo on Jan. 31," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.

Marwiyah and Kadir were transferred to the consulate by Peien Aloitch, vice governor of Sandaun. Also present were negotiators from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

They were handed over on the same day to the Irian Jaya deputy governor Basyir Bachtiar in an emotional ceremony at the Sentani Airport, Jayapura.

Bachtiar appealed to Port Moresby to help free more Indonesians still abducted by separatist rebels under Mathias Wenda and based in the Papua New Guinea territory.

Many Indonesians are still held hostage in Papua New Guinea near the two countries' common border and that their fate is unknown, Antara reported.

The rebels have been waging low-level warfare since the vast but thinly-populated Irian Jaya became part of Indonesia in 1963. Currently, Indonesian authorities are still seeking to free 13 Indonesians and foreign nationals held hostage in the Baliem Valley.

Bachtiar said Indonesian and Papua New Guinea officials' cooperation on the two high school students' release underlines the strengthening ties between the two neighboring countries.

"I'm sure the cooperation will further improve relations," he said. (pan)