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RI awaiting consular access to alleged pirates of Malaysian tanker
The Foreign Ministry has stated that it is still waiting for consular access from the Vietnamese government following its recent move to deploy a team tasked with verifying the citizenship status of the eight hijackers (allegedly Indonesian) of Malaysian tanker Orkim Harmony
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he Foreign Ministry has stated that it is still waiting for consular access from the Vietnamese government following its recent move to deploy a team tasked with verifying the citizenship status of the eight hijackers (allegedly Indonesian) of Malaysian tanker Orkim Harmony.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that her ministry should have been provided with access on Monday. "It is expected that access will be given today," Retno said late on Monday in her office.
She said access was required in order to verify the citizenship status of the alleged Indonesian nationals.
She further said verification was needed to guarantee the protection of the rights of the alleged Indonesian hijackers, as well as to impose sanctions on them if they were found guilty.
"In the process, we want to ensure that our citizens are not deprived of their legal rights," Retno said.
As of now, Retno said, the ministry was still coordinating with the Indonesian embassies in Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to follow up on the tanker-hijacking case.
Orkim Harmony, a Malaysian-flagged tanker, was reported missing on June 12 after leaving Melaka on Malaysia's west coast for Kuantan on the east coast. The vessel lost contact after traveling 30 miles (48.3 km) into the South China Sea. (alm)(+++)
