Australian professor kidnapped by Papua New Guinea gang for $1.4 million ransom

An Australian archeology professor has been kidnapped at gunpoint by a local gang from a village in the remote highlands of southern Papua New Guinea.

The Queensland professor and three local university graduates were kidnapped on Sunday morning by about 20 armed “thugs” who demanded a ransom of 3.5 million Kina (A$1.43 million).

The kidnapping occurred two weeks after armed separatists in West Papua kidnapped a New Zealand pilot, whom Papuan police now believe they have tracked down and sent a team to rescue him.

The professor had only returned to the small village of Fogoma’iu in the Mount Bosavi region earlier this year after previously undertaking a project to study ancient remains on the Great Papuan Plateau.

The professor and his fellow hostages, in their 50s, are reportedly considered “safe at this time” while the PNG government negotiates their ransom, saying the kidnappers would be treated “fairly” if the captives were released unharmed.

The archaeologist outside his home in Fogoma’iu, the town in PNG’s Southern Highlands where he was investigating ancient remains when 20 gunmen kidnapped him early Sunday morning.

Map of the island of New Guinea showing Papua New Guinea (right) where the Australian professor was kidnapped in Fogoma’iu village on Sunday and West Papua where New Zealand pilot Phil Mehrtens was kidnapped in Paro (left) on February 7

But if not, police would “use deadly force,” PNG Police Commissioner David Manning said in a statement.

Describing the gunmen as ‘opportunists’ and the situation as ‘delicate’, Manning said that ‘our specialized law enforcement personnel will use all means necessary against criminals, including the use of deadly force, to provide security and protection of detained persons.

He said the kidnappers were being offered “a way out” and would face the courts if they released the hostages, “but failure to comply and resisting arrest could cost these criminals their lives.”

The Australian scientist is reportedly trying to discuss the ransom sum, according to volunteer community development worker Sally Lloyd, who said she was “interested that the matter was obviously resolved.” the aussie informed.

Local missionaries who had spoken to the professor by satellite phone had confirmed to the PNG government that he and the other hostages were alive.

The professor’s identity is withheld from media reports due to the sensitivity of the situation.

The professor has previously led a peaceful existence on Fogoma’iu, conducting research and working with local villagers on remains and cultural deposits dating back more than 50,000 years.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway in Indonesia to rescue Susi Airlines pilot Phillip Mehrtens, kidnapped on February 7 in Paro, West Papua, by the militant wing of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM).

The West Papuan National Liberation Army, known locally as the KKB, confiscated Mehrtens and the single-engine Susi Air plane he was piloting after it landed on an airstrip in the remote and mountainous Nduga regency.

The Queensland professor had previously lived peacefully in a house (left and right) among villagers in remote Fogoma’iu, where he was staying while researching ancient remains on the Great Papuan Plateau.

Originally from Christchurch but living in Bali with his wife and son, Mehrtens had been assigned to rescue 15 construction workers threatened with death by KKB leader Egianus Kogoya.

The Jakarta Post reported that Papua Police Chief Inspector Matthius Fakhiri sent a team of local politicians to negotiate for Mehrtens’ release.

After KKB released photos and videos of Mehrtens wearing a Free Papua T-shirt and telling the Indonesian army to leave West Papua, Inspector Fakhiri said officers had pointed out where the pilot was being held.

‘We want everyone to pray that we can finish the job without causing another incident, [that] we can release the pilot and everything is back to normal,’ he said.

Indonesia reportedly sent a rescue group of local politicians to negotiate with KKB separatists (above with Phillip Mehrtens) for the release of the New Zealand pilot.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape has appealed directly to the kidnappers of the Australian archeology professor, saying ‘do yourself and your country a favor by releasing the people involved’.

Marape told local reporters that the police and army were standing by while the government worked with the missionaries acting as mediators.

At a news conference, Marape said: “We do not encourage rescue, but we are treating this very diligently and carefully because life is in danger and … is at stake.”

On his Facebook page, the professor posted an image several months ago of the village of Fogoma’iu.

The image was taken when he worked there in 2019 and he said that in 2023 “it will be great to be back.”