Greg Poulgrain – Indonesia's feared Kopassus forces had been forced to free Papuan tourist guide Silas Yikwa when the news of his kidnapping reached the outside world, it was claimed last night.

Mr Yikwa, who was abducted by Kopassus troops on November 5, has said his captors let him go after The Courier-Mail ran the story on November 16 and it was picked up by websites in Papua. In an e-mail to friends in Brisbane yesterday he said Kopassus had contacted Papuan university students to arrange his freedom after the story broke.

Mr Yikwa was taking five Brisbane tourists for a trekking holiday in the Papuan highlands when he was abducted at Sentani airport, 40km from the capital city Jayapura. The abduction followed a rash of kidnapping and killings of prominent Papuans which have been blamed on Kopassus, Indonesia's notorious special forces. Twelve Kopassus personnel have been charged over the killing in November last year of independence leader Theys Eluay.

Mr Yikwa said there was no reason for Kopassus to suspect that the visit by the five tourists was politically motivated, but he was arrested nevertheless. The tourists were Richard de Simone, his three adult daughters and a fiance. Speaking from his Brisbane home yesterday, Mr de Simone explained that their group goes for trekking holidays every year.

Describing his ordeal, Mr Yikwa said that during interrogation at Kopassus headquarters, he was severely beaten. "I never get food from November 5 until November 19 and just drink salt water during the kidnap," he said in his e-mail. "Kopassus they put me [in] a special political place. Normally when they bring political people to that place, they kill [that person]. But Silas [had] safety because of the God."

Once in safe hands, Mr Yikwa was thankful he had survived. "Oh God thank you for help during kidnap [of] Silas," he said. "Give me my land with freedom ... Enough my people die everywhere all around West Papua."

The release of Mr Yikwa could indicate an increased sensitivity on the part of Kopassus to accusations of rights violations. This has occurred in the wake of Indonesian police accusations that Kopassus was involved in the Eluay killing as well as the deaths of an Indonesian and two Americans in a shooting ambush at the Freeport mine in Papua on August 31 this year.