11 Indonesians still held hostage by Somalian pirates

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 06/19/2009 7:27 PM  |  World

The Foreign Ministry said Friday that it kept monitoring the fate of 11 Indonesian ship crew members now held hostage by pirates in Somalia.

Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said here on Friday the Indonesian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, was monitoring the development, including negotiations between the Malaysian ship owner and the pirates.

"It is not that the government does not try to save them but it keeps monitoring it through our embassy in Nairobi," Teuku was quoted by Antara as saying.

Teuku noted that the negotiations between the ship owner and the pirates had come close to an agreement but the pirates were divided causing some further complications.

"Our communication with the pirates is continuing through our embassy in Nairobi and indeed in terms of figures an agreement has been reached between the ship owner and the pirates," he said.

The 11 Indonesians who worked for Mas Indra Shipping Malaysian Sendirian Berhard, headquartered in Port Klang, have been held hostage since Dec. 16, 2008 after pirates took over their ship in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia.

When the incident happened, the ship was leased by the Malaysian shipping company for French oil company Total.

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