CNN
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Police in Papua New Guinea have launched a rescue operation after a group of foreign citizens and local guides were taken hostage by armed criminals in remote parts of the country, police said in a statement Monday.
An Australian academic is among those being held ransom, CNN affiliates Nine News and Seven News reported, citing Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.
Police said negotiations were underway to secure the release of the hostages and would use “all necessary force” to free them. They are being held in the village of Fogomaiou, but it is not clear how many people have been taken hostage.
Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner David Manning said the criminals “accidentally” saw the group and took them into the bush.
“These are opportunists who clearly didn’t think through the situation before they acted and are demanding cash,” Manning said, adding that authorities were “providing a way out for the kidnappers.” added.
“They can release prisoners of war and are treated fairly through the criminal justice system, but disobedience and resistance to arrest can cost these criminals their lives,” he said. rice field.
Manning added that contact was maintained with “relevant diplomatic representatives” until the case was resolved.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not officially commented on the matter.
Papua New Guinea is a Pacific country with a population of over 9 million people that shares an island with the Papua region of Indonesia.
Earlier this month, a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage by separatist fighters in Papua. The pilot, identified as Philip Mehrtens by local police, was arrested after landing his private Susi Air charter flight at Paro Airport in the remote highlands of Nduga province.
The group has previously called for all incoming flights to Paro airport to be stopped, and said the pilots would not be released until the Indonesian government recognizes Papua’s independence.
