Instead, he said authorities had chosen to allow negotiations with the rebels to continue, as fears grew that the use of force in the rescue attempt would only repeat the errors made in previous operations that went awry.

“What’s happening now is a law enforcement operation and not a military operation. We have opted for a law enforcement approach because there is a foreigner involved. We will continue with persuasion,” Yudo was quoted by Kompas daily as saying in Denpasar, Bali.

Another reason not to launch a military operation, he said, was to ensure that any action taken was conducive to a peaceful Papua and that no locals would be harmed.

He said that currently, Namia Gwijangge, the acting local regent, together with other local religious and tribal leaders, was still negotiating with the separatist group.

The statement came on the 15th day since New Zealand national Phillip Mehrtens, a pilot for frontier airline Susi Air, was abducted shortly after landing a commercial flight in the remote Nduga regency in the newly created province of Papua Highlands on Feb. 7.

Mehrtens, 37, was abducted by a local cell of the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) led by Egianus Kogoya, which has demanded that Indonesia recognize Papuan independence in return for his release.

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