Abducted Exxon Mobil workers released

Three ExxonMobil workers that were kidnapped since Thursday in the restive province of Aceh were released safely on Saturday.

?We are happy for their safe return,? said ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia (EMOI) spokesperson Deva Rachman without elaborating further.

The workers were abducted on gunpoint by a group of six men on a public road near the village of Teupun Peunti in North Aceh regency when they were traveling home to Lhokseumawe from their workstations at the nearby Arun Field, operated by EMOI.

One abductee was quoated by The Jakarta Post as saying that the kidnappers were members of Aceh separatist movement (GAM).

"I have no idea why they abducted us but one thing is for sure, they wanted us to give moral and material support to their struggle. The chief of Passe II region Tengku Ni also said that he wanted us to show the public that GAM does not kill civilians," Samsul told The Jakarta Post by telephone.

He said that he and his colleagues experienced and witnessed GAM's hospitality and stayed with other "arrested" hostages in a hut.

"They give us pillows, blankets, and mosquito repellent before sleeping while the gunmen slept on the floor," Samsul said, adding that the gunmen also provided them with food and soap.

"We broke our fast and prayed together with them," he said.

Exxon Mobil runs huge gas fields in Aceh, which feed the entire needs of Arun natural gas liquefaction. (alex/godang)