Sydney, The Indonesia Post – An Australian professor who was held hostage for a week by gunmen in remote Papua New Guinea has been freed along with a local colleague, television station the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
A group of archaeological researchers consisting of a professor working for an Australian university, two Papua New Guinea university graduates and a program coordinator were taken hostage last Sunday by men demanding ransom.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not immediately comment on reports of the release of the research group in the Pacific Island nation.
The professor and his entourage were on their way to the remote village of Fogoma’iu in the Mount Bosavi region, near the border of the Southern Highlands and Hela Provinces when they were kidnapped.
The release of the three men ends negotiations and a security operation involving Papua New Guinea police and security personnel undertaken within the framework of consultations with the governments of Australia and New Zealand, the ABC said.
The professor resides in Australia but is a New Zealand citizen. The names of the three hostages have been withheld because the matter is sensitive.
Previously a woman who was also one of the three people held hostage, has been released. At that time the Papua New Guinea police said they were working on a peaceful resolution to the situation. (mhn/bbs)
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