Port Moresby:
An Australian helicopter pilot and two local contractors kidnapped at gunpoint in Papua New Guinea's restive highlands have been released unharmed, police and an aviation company spokesman said Monday. The trio were taken near Mount Sisa, in central Hela province, on Monday afternoon while working at a remote telecommunications tower, but were now free, “safe and unharmed”, police said.
With police and military closing in on the area, it appears the attackers have withdrawn their demands and allowed the three men to get back into the helicopter and fly away to safety.
“The kidnappers had been warned through local leaders that lethal force would be used to free the captives,” said Police Commissioner David Manning.
“Security forces have now entered the direct arrest phase of the operation to track down the kidnappers so that they can be brought to justice,” he said.
The highlands of Papua New Guinea have been hit by a wave of kidnappings and tribal violence in recent years, leaving hundreds of people dead.
Last week, more than fifty bodies were found by the side of a road – the result of clashes between rival clans.
In 2023, a New Zealand archaeologist and two others were taken hostage at gunpoint at a site near this most recent incident.
They were released – traumatized but apparently physically unharmed – after a tense week of negotiations with kidnappers who initially demanded a ransom of $1 million – a huge sum in one of the Pacific's poorest countries.
The government is under intense pressure to increase security measures in the area and tackle growing lawlessness.
Prime Minister James Marape previously told AFP that the government would crack down on the kidnappers.
“I want everyone to know that crime does not pay, it ultimately leads to the arrest or death of criminals.
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