Warga Inggris yang Diculik di Aceh Dibebaskan

British Worker who was Kidnapped in Aceh is Found Alive

Reporter : Rizki Saleh
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani


Warga Inggris yang Diculik di Aceh Dibebaskan
Malcolm Primrose disambut istrinya (baju kuning) setelah dibebaskan penculik (Foto: Mail Online)

AHLI pertambangan Inggris, Insinyur Malcolm Primrose ditemukan dalam keadaan hidup dan sehat di sebuah perkebunan di utara Indonesia.

Primrose, 61, diculik di bawah todongan senjata awal pekan ini oleh enam orang yang mencegat mobilnya seraya mengacungkan senapan dan pistol.

Menurut polisi, Kamis pagi, para penculik menghubungi anggota keluarga dan meminta tebusan hampir Rp5 miliar, seperti dilansir Mail Online.

Polisi mengatakan uang tebusan tidak dibayar dan pencarian luas masih terus melacak di mana panggilan telepon menuntut uang tebusan itu dilakukan.

Mr Primrose, yang bekerja untuk sebuah perusahaan Indonesia di utara provinsi Aceh, diculik oleh kelompok bersenjata pada Selasa ketika mereka menyergap mobilnya saat ia menuju pulang ke rumah.

Para penculik mengikat sopirnya dan menghilang dengan Primrose.

Sebuah perburuan besar dilakukan, namun polisi kesulitan menemukan pria asal Skotlandia, karena bisa ditahan di mana saja di wilayah hutan.

Mereka mengantisipasi upaya pencarian dengan menelusuri hutan - tetapi ia ditemukan di sebuah pos keamanan di perkebunan kelapa sawit Kamis dini hari.

Dia mengatakan kepada polisi bahwa ia ´sedikit terguncang´ tetapi dipahami ia tidak perlu perawatan di rumah sakit. Kapolres Kombes Muhajir mengatakan, "Kami membawanya ke kantor polisi Ranto Panjang dipertanyakan."

Polisi belum merilis rincian tentang bagaimana dan kapan para penculik melakukan kontak dengan keluarga Primrose, tetapi diyakini bahwa Primrose, di bawah tekanan, memberi mereka informasi untuk menghubungi orang yang terdekat dengannya.

"Ketika mereka (penculik) menghubungi keluarganya, mereka meminta tebusan 5 miliar rupiah," kata Komandan Muhajir, yang hanya menggunakan satu nama.

Tetapi polisi mengatakan tidak ada uang tebusan yang dibayar dan, berharap dapat mengulur waktu saat negosiasi, tapi polisi dan tentara yang mencari terkejut mendengar dia telah ditemukan di sebuah pos keamanan.

Itu tidak diketahui apakah dia dibebaskan atau melarikan diri dari penculiknya tetapi laporan pertama mengatakan polisi yakin mereka telah memutuskan untuk membiarkan dia pergi.

"Saya tidak tahu alasan yang tepat dari para penculik keputusan untuk membebaskan Mr Primrose," kata Komandan Muhajir.

"Ini mungkin karena ukuran operasi polisi dengan bantuan tentara," katanya.

Operasi pencarian telah melibatkan lebih dari 100 petugas polisi serta tentara.

Kembalinya Primrose tidak lantas mengakhiri pencarian terhadap para penculik.

"Kami masih mencari mereka dan akan menjaga tekanan sampai kita menemukan mereka," kata Komandan Muhajir.

"Hal ini sangat jarang terjadi untuk orang-orang yang diculik di Aceh hari ini," tambahnya.

"Kami memiliki masalah yang sangat serius di masa lalu, serta tsunami yang mengerikan pada tahun 2004, tetapi banyak hal telah berubah dalam beberapa tahun terakhir."

"Kami sangat terkejut mendengar bahwa orang asing telah diculik, tapi itu adalah berita baik ketika dibebaskan."

Primrose diminta kesediaannya untuk menjalani interogasi beberapa jam oleh polisi tentang penderitaannya sebelum ia bertemu dengan para pejabat Kedutaan Besar Inggris yang telah dikirim ke daerah itu untuk membantu dalam pencarian dan sekarang untuk menanyai dia.

Kedutaan Besar Inggris di Jakarta menyatakan terima kasih atas kerja sama pemerintah Indonesia dalam mencari Primrose.

"Kami sangat senang untuk mengkonfirmasi bahwa Malcolm Primrose telah dibebaskan," kata KBRI dalam sebuah pernyataan.

´Petugas kedutaan telah mendampingi Primrose dan memberikan bantuan konsuler."

"Kami ingin menempatkan pada catatan terima kasih kami untuk dukungan yang kami terima dari pihak berwenang Indonesia, serta dari Gubernur Aceh dan stafnya, Kepala polisi Aceh dan timnya, dan banyak orang lain yang bekerja keras untuk melakukan pembebasan."

Kantor kementerian luar negeri Pemerintah Persemakmuran Pemerintah memperingatkan bahwa ada ancaman dari kegiatan terorisme di Indonesia.

Ia mengatakan: ´kelompok teroris terus merencanakan serangan dan memiliki kapasitas dan niat untuk melakukan serangan ini kapan saja dan di mana saja di negeri ini. "

Ini menyarankan pengunjung untuk ´berhati-hati ketika bepergian ke Aceh, Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah (terutama Palu, Poso dan Tentena), Provinsi Maluku (terutama Ambon), Papua dan Provinsi Papua Barat. "

Bagian barat pantai Aceh dilanda tsunami pada bulan Desember 2004.

Tsunami, yang disebabkan oleh gempa bumi Samudra Hindia., Menewaskan sekitar 170.000 orang di Aceh dan meninggalkan sekitar 500.000 tunawisma.

KIDNAPPED British oil engineer Malcolm Primrose has been found alive and well in a plantation in northern Indonesia.

Mr Primrose, 61, was kidnapped at gunpoint earlier this week by six men who intercepted his car as they brandished rifles and a pistol.

According to police early today the kidnappers had contacted family members and asked for the equivalent of £320,000 for his safe release.

Police said the ransom was not paid and a widespread search was continuing to trace where the phone call demanding the money was made from.

Mr Primrose, who works for an Indonesian company in the northern province of Aceh, was snatched by the armed group on Tuesday when they ambushed his car as he was heading home.

The kidnappers tied up his driver and drove off with Mr Primrose.

A huge manhunt was launched, but police conceded the Scotsman could have been held prisoner anywhere in the jungle region of the province.

They anticipated a long-drawn out search - but were surprised when he was found at a security post in a palm oil plantation early today.

He told police that he was ´a bit shaken´ but it is understood he did not need hospital treatment.
Police Senior Commander Muhajir told the Jakarta Globe: ´We´re taking him to Ranto Panjang police station to be questioned.´

Police have yet to release details of how and when the kidnappers made contact with Mr Primrose´s family, but it is believed that the Scot had, under pressure, given them details of someone to call.

´When they (the kidnappers) contacted his family, they asked for a 5 billion rupiah ransom,´ said Commander Muhajir, who uses only one name.

But the police officer said no ransom was paid and, expecting a long drawn out period of negotiation, searching officers and troops were surprised to hear he had been found at a security post.

t was not known if he was released or had escaped from his captors but first reports said police believe they had decided to let him go.

´I don´t know of a precise reason for the kidnappers´ decision to release Mr Primrose,´ said Commander Muhajir.

´It´s probably because of the size of the police operation with the help of soldiers,´ he said.

The search operation had involved more than 100 police officers as well as soldiers.

The safe return of Mr Primrose does not put an end to the search for the kidnappers.

´We are still looking for them and will keep up the pressure until we find them,´ said Commander Muhajir.

´It is very rare for people to be kidnapped in Aceh these days,´ he added.

´We have had our very serious troubles in the past, as well as the terrible tsunami in 2004, but things have settled down a lot in recent years.

´We were very surprised to hear that a foreigner had been kidnapped, but it is good news we have got him back.´

Mr Primrose is expected to spend several hours being questioned by police about his ordeal before he meets with British Embassy officials who have been sent to the area to assist in the search and now to debrief him.

The British Embassy in Jakarta said that it was grateful for the work put in by the Indonesian authorities in searching for Mr Primrose.

´We are delighted to confirm that Malcolm Primrose has been released,´ the Embassy said in a statement.

´Embassy officials are with Mr Primrose and are providing consular assistance.

´We would like to place on record our warm thanks for the support we have received from the Indonesian authorities, as well as from the Governor of Aceh and his staff, the Chief of Aceh police and his team, and the many others who have worked so hard to secure his release.´

The Government´s Foreign and Commonwealth Office warned that there is a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia.

It says: ´Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and intent to carry out these attacks at anytime and anywhere in the country.´

It advises visitors to ´exercise caution when travelling to Aceh, Central Sulawesi Province (especially Palu, Poso and Tentena), Maluku Province (especially Ambon), Papua and West Papua Province.´

The western coast of  Aceh was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004.

The tsunami, caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake., killed an estimated 170,000 people in Aceh and left about 500,000 homeless.