INDONESIA FACES MORE HOSTAGE-TAKING CRISES by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 11, 2017 (Antara) - From March to July 2016, Indonesia faced at least five hostage-taking incidents, with a total of 24 Indonesians being kidnapped for ransom by the Abu Sayyaf terror group hiding in the Philippines forests.

         However, most of the captives from the hostage-taking crises were gradually released unharmed until Oct 2016.   
    Four more Indonesians were also kidnapped in two separate incidents before 2016 ended. 
    On Nov 6, 2016, two Indonesian sailors, La Utu bin La Rali (52) and La Hadi bin La Adi (46), were abducted by the same Filipino kidnappers while fishing off Sabah in Malaysian waters.

         The two were taken from different ships by gunmen. La Utu bin La Raali worked on SSK 00520F ship and La Hadi bin La Adi on SN 1154/4F ship of Malaysia.

         The two Indonesians were believed to be held in Sulu region in the Philippines, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said following the kidnapping in Nov 2016.

         "(They are) in Sulu. A day after the kidnapping, I received information from my colleague in the Philippines that they had been taken to Sulu," Retno said.

         Retno did not have any further information on whether they had been taken hostages along with two other Indonesians who were kidnapped earlier by the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines waters.

         "There is no information on whether they are with the two other Indonesians or are being held in separate locations," she stated.

         The government continued to seek solutions to free Indonesians kidnapped in Malaysian waters, the minister stressed. "We are still working on how to free them," she added.     
    Following the kidnapping of the Indonesian sailors off Borneo island, Retno met with her Malaysian counterpart in Kuala Lumpur to focus on kick-starting efforts for trilateral sea patrols with the Philippines.

         During their meeting, Retno and Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman vowed to increase cooperation under the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA), which was signed with the Philippines earlier this year to prioritize maritime security in the region, including through joint nautical patrols.

         The latest hostage-taking crisis occurred on Jan 19, 2017, with talks are still going on, when three Indonesian citizens were abducted while fishing in Malaysian waters, the Indonesian Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah State, Malaysia, stated recently.   
    The three citizens were identified as Hamdan bin Salim (29) hailing from Selayar island, South Sulawesi; Subandi bin Sattu (47) from Bulukumba, South Sulawesi; and Sudarling bin Samansung (26) from Pulo Bembe, West Sulawesi.  
    Consul General Ahmad DH Irfan said there were strong indications that the three, who had been reported missing, were abducted by an armed group.

         "We cannot as yet confirm if they have been abducted by the Abu Sayyaf group, because there are a lot of other armed groups in the Philippines," he said in a short message to Antara.

         He revealed that the Philippines' Coast Guard officers had found the boat, used by the three for fishing, in the Taganak island waters in South Philippines at 15.15pm local time, with its engine still running. Not a single communication device was missing.

         The boat carrying a Malaysian flag, but without any crew, was found being carried away by the current and stranded around the Langawan waters in Taganak island.

         "They were mostly likely abducted while in the Sabah State waters, because it was almost impossible to enter Philippines' waters due to the security situation there," he added.

         On Feb 9, the consul general informed that the five Indonesian sailors were held in Sulu, the Philippines.

         They were in good health, Irfan was quoted as saying by Hadi Syarifuddin, head of the task force for Indonesian citizens protection, in a short message.

         The information was received from La Utu, who had been tasked by the hostage-takers to cook for 50 people.

         Earlier, the foreign ministry has called on Indonesian crews in the Sabah waters, Malaysia, to stop fishing in the region until the situation improves, following the kidnapping of Indonesian crews in the area.

         Despite the warnings, as many as 6 thousand Indonesians still work on fishing boats in the region.

         Furthermore, the Indonesian government will go the extra mile to protect its citizens abroad, especially its nationals who have been taken hostages, the foreign affairs minister declared.

         "The efforts to protect our citizens abroad will be intensified, even as Indonesia faces great challenges with the surge of kidnapping cases in the Sulu Sea and in the Malaysian waters," Retno remarked during the 2017 Annual Press Statement in Jan 2017. 
    Retno also expressed concerns over the recurring kidnappings of Indonesian sailors in Malaysian waters.

         "We have been working together closely with Malaysian authorities, ship owners and the released hostages," Retno said. ***2***
(f001/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 11-02-2017