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Indonesia vows to bring back sailors safely
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A map of the Sulu waters, southern Philippines, and its surrounding area (Courtesy of freemalaysiatoday.com/-)
T
he government has condemned the latest incident in a string of kidnappings of Indonesian sailors in Sulu waters, southern Philippines, while pledging the safe return of the hostages.
"This is the third incident, this cannot be tolerated," Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Friday while addressing reporters.
Retno said the government would everything in its power for the safe release of the seven crewmen taken hostage.
"The Indonesian government asks the Philippine government to ensure safety in the southern Philippine waters so as not to disrupt economic activities in the surrounding area," she asserted.
Retno said the Indonesian government was ready to cooperate in that regard. Earlier this year, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia agreed to strengthen cooperation in the form of a joint patrol to maintain security on the bordering waters of the neighboring countries, as it is a key sea lane, especially for economic activities. The discussion of the details is still on going, Retno said.
Retno did not disclose the identity of the perpetrators, but a wife of one of the sailors had previously said her husband had told her the boat was taken hostage by a faction of the Aby Sayyaf militant group. (bbn)
