HERU Wicaksono was gripped with tension late in August 2007 soon after the South Korean embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, contacted him at 7pm (21:00 Jakarta time). He was nominated to represent the Indonesian government in talks to free the group of South Koreans being held hostage by the Taleban.

“Because I didn’t know what the Taleban are really like,” said Heru when contacted by Tempo at his office last Tuesday. He had never had any deali