Aussie professor is kidnapped from a remote Papua New Guinea village by an armed gang demanding a $1.4MILLION ransom
- Aussie archaeologist kidnapped in PNG
- Happened two weeks after Kiwi pilot abduction
- PNG police promise ‘lethal force’ if necessary
An Australian archaeology professor has been kidnapped at gunpoint by a local gang from a village in Papua New Guinea’s remote Southern Highlands.
The Queensland professor and three local university graduates were abducted on Sunday morning by around 20 armed ‘thugs’ who demanded a ransom of of 3.5 million Kina ($1.43m AUD).
The kidnapping happened two weeks after armed separatists in West Papua abducted a New Zealand pilot, who Papua police now believe they have located and have sent in a team to rescue.
The professor had only returned to the tiny village of Fogoma’iu in the Mount Bosavi region early this year after previously undertaking a project to study ancient remains on the Great Papuan Plateau.
Aged in his 50s, the professor and his fellow hostages are reportedly considered ‘safe at the moment’ as the PNG Government negotiates their rescue, saying the kidnappers would be treated ‘fairly’ if the captives were released unharmed.
The Queensland professor (second left) with a fellow scientist in 2019 at the remote PNG village where he was kidnapped at gunpoint on Sunday by ‘thug’s who have demanded a $1.43m ransom
The archaeologist outside his house in Fogoma’iu, the village in PNG’s Southern Highlands where he was researching ancient remains when 20 armed man kidnapped him early on Sunday
Map of New Guinea island showing Papua New Guinea (right) where the Australian professor was abducted at Fogoma’iu village on Sunday and West Papua where NZ pilot Phil Mehrtens was kidnapped at Paro (left) on February 7
But if not, police would ‘use lethal force’, PNG’s Police Commissioner David Manning said in a statement.
Describing the gunmen as ‘opportunists’ and the situation as ‘delicate’, Mr Manning he said ‘our specialised security force personnel will use whatever means necessary against the criminals, up to and including the use of lethal force, in order to provide for the safety and security of the people being held’.
He said the abductors were being offered ‘a way out’ and would face court if they released the hostages, ‘but failure to comply and resisting arrest could cost these criminals their lives.’
The Australian scientist is reportedly trying to argue down the ransom sum, according to volunteer community development worker Sally Lloyd who said he was ‘keen to have the matter resolved obviously’, The Australian reported.
Local missionaries who had spoken to the professor by satellite phone had confirmed to the PNG government that he and the other hostages were alive.
The professor’s identity is being kept out of media reports due to the sensitivity of the situation.
The professor has previously led a peaceful existence in Fogoma’iu, conducting research and working with local villagers on remains and cultural deposits going back more than 50,000 years.
Meanwhile Indonesian efforts are underway to rescue Susi Airlines pilot Phillip Mehrtens, kidnapped on February 7 in Paro, West Papua by the militant wing of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM).
The West Papua National Liberation Army, known locally as the KKB, seized Mehrtens and the Susi Air single engine plane he was flying after he landed on an airstrip in the remote, mountainous regency of Nduga.
The Queensland professor had previously lived peacefully in a house (left and right) among the villagers in remote Fogoma’iu where he was based while researching ancient remains on the Great Papuan Plateau
Originally from Christchurch, but living in Bali with his wife and son, Mehrtens had been assigned to rescue 15 construction workers threatened with death by KKB leader Egianus Kogoya.
The Jakarta Post reported Papua Police chief Inspector Matthius Fakhiri has sent in a team of local politicians to negotiate for Mehrtens’ release.
After the KKB released photos and video of Mehrtens wearing a Free Papua T-shirt and telling the Indonesian military to vacate west Papua, Inspector Fakhiri said officers had pinpointed the location where the pilot was being held.
‘We want everyone to pray that we can finish the job without causing another incident, [that] we can get the pilot released and everything goes back to normal,’ he said.
Indonesia has reportedly sent in a rescue party of local politicians to negotiate with the KKB separatists (above with Phillip Mehrtens) for the NZ pilot’s release
PNG Prime Minister James Marape has appealed directly to the kidnappers of the Australian archaeology professor, saying ‘do yourself and your country a favour by releasing the people concerned’.
Mr Marape told local reporters that police and the military were on stand-by as the government worked with missionaries who were acting as mediators.
In a press conference, Mr Marape said, ”we do not encourage ransom, but we’re treating this very diligently and carefully because life is at risk and … at stake’.
On his Facebook page, the professor posted an image several months ago of Fogoma’iu village.
The image was taken when he was working there in 2019 and he said how that in 2023 it ‘will be great to be back’.
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