Papua New Guinea’s Primary Minister James Marape speaks at a joint press convention on Jan. 12, 2023.
Andrew Kutan | AFP | Getty Photographs
An Australian university professor has been taken hostage in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has confirmed.
The Australian person is an archaeologist who operates for an Australian university and was accompanied on a industry excursion by many Papua New Guinean students from a neighborhood college who were also taken hostage, two sources with expertise of the incident told Reuters.
Papua New Guinea’s Key Minister James Marape explained to nearby reporters on Monday that law enforcement and the military services were being on stand-by, and the govt was operating with missionaries who were acting as mediators.
“We want these criminals to launch individuals who are held in captivity,” he said in remarks broadcast on ABC Television.
“There is no area to operate, there is no area to cover,” Marape included.
The male has not been publicly recognized mainly because of the sensitivity of the problem.
A resource in Papua New Guinea explained to Reuters on Monday morning the predicament was in “a important moment” and they could not remark more. It is believed a ransom has been demanded.
Australia’s Department of International Affairs and Trade did not quickly respond to requests for remark.