The government has not yet received information on the whereabouts of 16 Indonesian citizens who separated from their tour group in Turkey, a minister said
he government has not yet received information on the whereabouts of 16 Indonesian citizens who separated from their tour group in Turkey, a minister said.
'We continue to monitor and coordinate with Turkish authorities,' said Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday.
She said the Indonesian ambassador in Ankara, Turkey, had continued to communicate with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, police authorities and intelligence agencies to seek information that might give clues to the whereabouts of the Indonesians who were mostly from Surabaya and Surakarta.
'I made contact with our ambassador this morning. We have continued to coordinate,' said Retno.
The tour group departed for Turkey from Jakarta via Turkish Airlines flight TK67 on Feb. 24. Sixteen of 25 people in the tour group asked to separate as soon as they arrived in Istanbul. They promised to join again with the group in Pamukkale, Turkey, on Feb.26.
The 16 people did not show up on March 4, which was when they were scheduled to fly home. Along with other tour group members, they should have departed at 12:40 a.m. local time via Turkish Airlines flight TK66.
Five of the 16 people were known to have kinship relations. They are Hafid Umar Babher, 32, and wife, Soraiyah Cholid, and their children, Hamsah Hafid, 6, and Utsman Hafid, 4. The other one is Fauzi Umar, 36, who is Hafid's brother. They are all from Gajahan sub-district, Surakarta.
'We already have data about them all,' said Retno. (ebf)(++++)
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