Sydney (Australia), 21 Feb. Papua New Guinea police said on Tuesday that various departments of the security forces were coordinating an operation that allows for the “safe release” of the Australian academic and three Papuan university students abducted by an armed gang.
Police Commissioner David Manning described the kidnappers as “opportunistic” criminals and said he approved of the use of “lethal force” against them, according to local news portal Loop.
“Our specialized law enforcement personnel will use any means necessary against criminals, including the use of deadly force, to ensure the safety of detainees,” Manning said.
About 20 gunmen abducted the Australian anthropologist and three students from the University of Papua New Guinea on Sunday while they were carrying out research in the country’s central Highlands region, accompanied by four guides locals, the latter released shortly afterwards.
The kidnappers are demanding that the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea pay 3.5 million kina (about 970,000 US dollars or 910,000 euros) to free the four hostages.
“They are opportunists who obviously haven’t thought about the situation before acting and are asking for money. However, we offer them a way out. They can release their captives and they will be treated fairly by the system. judiciary, but failure to comply and resistance to arrest could cost them their lives,” the officer remarked.
On Monday, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said authorities had already “established contact” with the kidnappers, through missionaries who live in the area.
For its part, the Australian government chose to avoid commenting on the kidnapping because of its policy of not publicizing this type of incident and did not identify the academic, who according to the public broadcaster ABC works in a Australian university and could also have New Zealand citizenship.
Papua New Guinea, which gained independence from Australia in 1975, is a poor country with a low rate of education, despite the large amount of mineral and hydrocarbon resources on its territory.
Tribal conflicts and other violent incidents, which have intensified in recent years due to the increased use of semi-automatic weapons, are common in this mountainous Pacific nation, although kidnappings of foreigners are rare. ECE
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