Exxon Mobil workers held hostages in Aceh

State oil and gas company Pertamina confirmed on Sunday that eight of employees of Exxon Mobil (formerly Mobil Oil) at the Pase gas field, some 65 kilometers from Lhokseumawe in the troubled province of Aceh were taken hostages by eight armed civilians early on Saturday.

The Jakarta Post reported that the armed men demanded a ransom of Rp 4 billion (US$1=Rp 8,500) from the company and threatened to destroy the gas field if their demand was not met.

Spokesman for Pertamina's foreign contractors management body (BPPKA) Sidick Nitikusuma said that the workers were released later in the day at 3.50 pm. "No injuries were reported. No money was given. The gunmen treated the hostages well and voluntarily released them after a negotiation with the hostages," Sidick said.

Sidick said that the content of the negotiation remained unclear but the armed promised to return to pick up the money.

According to him, the eight gunmen slipped into the gas field when the eight workers just arrived for their morning shift. The gunmen then locked the workers up in the control room sand demanded that the ransom be delivered by 3 am. But the workers convinced them that it was impossible to meet their demand.

Spokesman for the armed wing of the free Aceh group (GAM) Ismail Syahputra denied the involvement in the kidnapping. "I have checked with our members on the ground and there has been no such abduction that they have committed. (*)