JAKARTA, June 12 (UPI) -- A British contractor working for an Indonesian oil company has been kidnapped, Medco Exploration and Production said Wednesday.
Malcolm Primrose, 62, was abducted Tuesday in East Aceh, the company said. Medco said Primrose was employed by Blade Engineering, a contracting company.
District police said Primrose's driver was left tied up at the scene, the BBC reported. The driver reported the kidnapping was carried out by four armed men but no shots were fired.
Primrose had been visiting an exploratory well, the company said. The well was the first drilled in Aceh since 1997, The Financial Times reported, saying local residents have been trying to get a larger share of revenues from oil and gas.
Police said they have not identified a motive for the kidnapping. A spokesman said the locals "welcome foreigners" and were unlikely to be responsible.
