T

he government has again failed to provide details regarding its efforts to secure the release of four Indonesian hostages from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf militant group in the southern Philippines.

In his speech to announce the release of the four hostages on Wednesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo only attributed the success in releasing the sailors to the four-point action plan signed during a recent trilateral meeting in Yogyakarta between Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia on maritime security.

“I thank the Philippine government, which has provided great cooperation for the second time in securing the release of our citizens,” Jokowi said. “And I am grateful that Indonesia’s initiative to hold the trilateral talks has produced results.”

The four Indonesians, identified as M. Ariyanto Misnan from Bekasi, West Java, Loren M. Petrus from West Papua, Dede Irfan Hilmi from Ciamis, West Java, and Samsir from South Sulawesi, are undergoing medical check-ups by the Philippine authorities at an undisclosed location in the Sulu Islands, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said.

Retno again declined to provide any details on the release process of the four hostages, saying only that the main “focus now was to ensure they remained in good health after their medical examinations”.

“The assailants’ identities and such are no longer relevant, as our focus had been squarely on the release of the four Indonesians in good health,” Retno said, adding that members of the Indonesian rescue team, whose identities were also kept secret, worked with authorities in the Philippines to finalize the hostages’ return.

The minister also revealed that she had engaged in constant communications with her Philippine counterpart, Jose Rene Almendras, since early on Wednesday and said that Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo was in talks with authorities in the Philippines on the manner in which the four would be repatriated.

The four Indonesians were part of a 10-strong group of tugboat crewmen, whose vessels were hijacked by a splinter group of Abu Sayyaf in mid-April. They were taken away in Tawi-Tawi waters in the Philippines by members of Abu Sayyaf on speed boats.

They joined 10 other Indonesian hostages — eventually released on May 1 — from tugboat Brahma 12 and the barge Anand 12, which were hijacked in late March, the third such incident to happen in the region in the past few months.

Five other crew members evaded being kidnapped and have since returned home, while another crew member, Lambas Simanulangkit from South Kalimantan, was shot and subsequently hospitalized in Tawau, in Sabah state, Malaysia.

Lambas was released from the hospital and returned home early on Tuesday on a Malaysia Airlines flight, accompanied by his wife and a representative from his firm, the ministry’s director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said.

Authorities have been tight-lipped over how the 10 sailors were secured, leading many to speculate that a ransom had been paid to Abu Sayyaf.

Media reports have also published details about chaotic rescue operations staged by different groups from within and outside of the government, with each claiming to have key roles in releasing the hostages.