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.