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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesia's Aceh rebels begin freeing hostages |
| 2002-07-05 |
| Rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province said on Friday they had begun releasing some of the 18 people held captive from two separate abductions, including crew from a boat carrying supplies to an Exxon Mobil plant. The releases came after Indonesia's government on Thursday branded the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels terrorists for the first time and hinted it might impose emergency rule in the province. They've already told the military to go ahead and tromp them... The military accused GAM of being behind last month's abductions of nine crewmen of a boat chartered by oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil Corp. Nine local volleyball players were also seized in a separate incident last month. "Some have been released but I can't say how many, all will be out by tomorrow. All are in healthy condition," GAM spokesman Teungku Sofyan Daud told Reuters by satellite phone from Aceh. Asked why GAM took the 18 hostages, Daud said: "All of them were being used by the military. The boat itself has been often used to transport things for the military." He did not elaborate. It was unclear why the volleyballers had been taken hostage. They were looking for a good game? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |