Two weeks ago I was following a group of Indonesian journalists as they tried to find their way around wore-torn Aceh.

SOLDIER (Translation): It's not too far to get to but we can't guarantee your safety.

Ersa Siregar is a seasoned reporter with one of Indonesia's leading commercial television stations. He knew full well the dangers of working in Aceh.

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): This is not their area, so they can't guarantee our safety. But they've never guaranteed our safety anyway. What's new?

Ersa could never have known how prophetic his words would turn out to be. A few days after I filmed him on the road in North Aceh, he and everyone he was travelling with were abducted.

Ersa has worked here a lot over the years, and had returned to cover Indonesia's biggest military operation since the invasion of East Timor in 1975.

REPORTER (Translation): Is it more difficult this time or the same?

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): It's the same as ever.

REPORTER (Translation): But with the state of emergency it must be...

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): No, not really. We've had states of emergency in Ambon and here. In my opinion, it's all the same. Wherever we are we must be alert and work in a professional way.

The day after my report aired, Ersa was reported missing. The car he'd been travelling in with his cameraman, driver and two women passengers had been found abandoned.

They were taken hostage while travelling through east Aceh, a stronghold of the separatist GAM rebels. I was filming their last year and coincidentally I met the men who are now holding Ersa Siregar.

This is Ishak Daud, the GAM commander in East Aceh and the hostage taker.

I still had Ishak's satellite phone number and from the comfort of our Sydney studio, I called him in his jungle hideout.

REPORTER (Translation): Hello, Ishak Daud?

Not only did the rebel leader answer, but Ersa was with him.

ISHAK DAUD (Translation): Would you like to speak to me or Ersa Siregar first?

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): Good afternoon, David, how are you?

REPORTER (Translation): Fine... How are you? How are you?

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): Thanks to God, I'm well. Thanks to God, we're being treated well.

We are not political prisoners we are journalists. So we're asking for international help to get us out soon.

We've been on the move in the jungle for 10 days, moving from here to there and now we're in one of their command posts.

REPORTER (Translation): Are you afraid?

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): Yes. It's only natural. When we can't see our families its a humanitarian question.

And my mother died yesterday, and I couldn't see her. It's a disaster and it's hard, but we just have to leave it up to God. Only God knows how this willl end.

The rebel commander then asked me if I wanted to speak to the women who were captured with Ersa. Both are the wives of air force officers in the Indonesian military, or TNI.

REPORTER (Translation): Okay, with Lt Col Azhari's wife first?

COL. AZHARI’S WIFE (Translation): Hello, peace be with you.

REPORTER (Translation): What's your situation?

COL. AZHARI’S WIFE (Translation): Thanks to God, I'm well.

REPORTER (Translation): They're not harassing you or making it difficult?

COL. AZHARI’S WIFE (Translation): No, we're safe here. It's a long way from danger here, and we're being very well looked after.

REPORTER (Translation): So are you afraid right now?

COL. AZHARI’S WIFE (Translation): I am.

I asked Ishak Daud when he would release his hostages.

ISHAK DAUD (Translation): It's like this, David. The time's not right. We haven't checked them yet. They only arrived at GAM HQ last night.

So today, we assigned one of our men to look into their backgrounds up to the day they were captured by GAM.

I want to make it clear about the TNI wives who are with us... They will be released when the GAM wives are released. Only then will we release the TNI wives.

Ishak also has no sympathy for the plight of his captive journalist. He doesn't view him as a neutral observer.

Like all of the journalists in Aceh, Ersa worked under strict military guidelines and was forced to report the war from the army's perspective.

ISHAK DAUD (Translation): It's better that you stop being a journalist. If being a journalist is about being a pushover who is only there to serve colonial interests then it's no longer fair, they are no longer civilians, they are part of the military. If the press were honest they wouldn't come like this to Aceh.

The Indonesian army gave the rebels a deadline to release their prisoners, but that passed last night.

ISHAK DAUD (Translation): If they want to attack, go ahead. We're not holding them as human shields. We've told them if they want to attack, please do. But attack GAM HQ don't attack ordinary people.

Ersa still doesn't know when or if he will be allowed to leave.

REPORTER (Translation): I'm sure they will release you soon. So be strong.

ERSA SIREGAR (Translation): Yes, so we can meet up again like we agreed, in your country, in Melbourne, Australia, if we are blessed with a long and lucky life.