Soga's arrival a step closer to reunion

Soga's arrival a step closer to reunion

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta

A Japanese woman who was abducted by North Korea and
repatriated after 24 years arrived here on Thursday to reunite
with her husband, an alleged U.S. army deserter, and daughters --
but first she had to get past the media pack.

More than 50 correspondents from the international print and
electronic media covered the arrival of Hitomi Soga at the
Intercontinental Midplaza Hotel in Central Jakarta, with Japanese
TV stations broadcasting the event live.

Although she looked tired after flying for seven hours from
Tokyo, Soga, smiled and waved to the reporters and Japanese
onlookers who cried out,"Soga-san".

From the airport to the hotel, Soga was accompanied by Japan's
special advisor to the Indonesian Cabinet, Kyoko Nakayama, and
Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yutaka Iimura. Wearing a brown
suit, she was greeted at the hotel lobby with a bouquet of tiger
lilies by a small Indonesian girl.

"Now I can meet my family after one year and nine months
thanks to the cooperation of the Indonesian government," Soga
said.

Indonesia agreed to host the reunion as Jakarta does not have
an extradition treaty with the United States. The U.S. wants
Soga's husband, Charles Robert Jenkins, on charges of desertion
from the U.S. army. American Secretary of State Colin Powell last
week said the U.S. would not oppose the reunion although it still
viewed Jenkins as a deserter.

Meanwhile, a young Japanese woman, who is married to an
Indonesian citizen, said she waited for more than three hours at
the hotel just to see Soga's arrival.

"I am very happy to be here. It's great Soga-san can meet
again with her family in Indonesia. As a housewife in an
interracial marriage, I can empathize. I feel this is also my
problem," Otsuka told The Jakarta Post.

There was speculation about whether Jenkins and their two
daughters would bring their dog along with them when they arrive
in Jakarta on Friday afternoon.

A Reuters report said there was speculation that if Jenkins
brought the dog, it meant he would not be returning home to North
Korea.

Soga was a 19-year-old student nurse in Sado island, when
North Korean agents kidnapped her and brought her to the
Stalinist state in 1978. She fell in love with Jenkins, her
English teacher, and they married in 1980. Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi later succeeded in persuading North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il to release Soga and four other abducted
citizens.

However, Jenkins and their two daughters decided to stay in
the country because they feared he would be extradited to the
U.S. for his desertion. His family insists Jenkins was also
abducted by North Korean agents when patrolling the Demilitarized
Zone between North and South Korea in 1965. He was 24 years old
at the time.

Jenkins, Mika and Belinda will arrive from Korea on Friday
afternoon and Soga will greet them at the airport. It is still
not known how long they will stay in Indonesia. Japan is now
negotiating with the U.S. to enable Jenkins go to Japan with his
family while avoiding a U.S. prosecution.