Jakarta, May 3 (Antara) - After the release on Sunday of ten Indonesian sailors taken hostage since March by the Abu Sayyaf rebels in southern Philippines, the Indonesian government is now concentrating on securing the freedom of four more Indonesian hostages.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who thanked the Philippines government for the release of the ten Indonesian hostages on Sunday, said the Indonesian government is still working hard to ensure that four other citizens still in captivity are also released.
In an effort to free the four Indonesian hostages, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) would implement an intelligence operation involving both formal and informal networks but would give priority to the safety of the hostages.
"President Joko Widodo has called for prioritizing the safety of the hostages," he said. The TNI will also coordinate with the foreign ministry in its intelligence operation.
Maj.Gen. Kivlan Zein, in his capacity as a negotiator for the release of the hostages, said in a short message from the Philippines on Monday that he is now in the process of securing the release of four other Indonesian crewmen of TB Henry who were abducted after rebels had been already holding ten people hostage in the Philippines.
"We know their positions. I have made contacts with the abductors of the four Indonesians. Hopefully, we would also be able to ensure they are set free," said Kivlan, who was former chief of staff of the Army Strategic Command (Kostrad).
In the meantime, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated on Monday that the Indonesian government was still continuing its efforts for the release of four boat crew members.
"We continue to work hard to secure the release of four other boat crew members who are still being held in the Philippines," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi stated here on Monday.
Marsudi made the statement while handing over the 10 former hostages who were released and returned home.
The minister affirmed that various efforts and strategies will be adopted to free the four hostages.
"The government will take any option available to save the hostages," she emphasized.
The minister reiterated that the Indonesian government would never pay ransom to the Abu Sayyaf group and would continue to monitor the whereabouts of the hostages.
Earlier, the news of the release of the 10 Indonesian sailors was circulated based on information received from the Head of the National Intelligence Agency, Sutiyoso. Sutiyoso confirmed that the 10 abducted Indonesians had been released.
The Abu Sayyaf extremist group in southern Philippines released the 10 Indonesian hostages on Sunday, ending a month-long hostage taking ordeal that had begun on March 24.
According to Reuters, the chief of police of the Jolo island said the hostages, who were part of the crew of a Taiwanese-owned tugboat intercepted by Abu Sayyaf rebels, were delivered to the local governor's home at around 0500 GMT and were then taken to an army base.
They were taken hostage by the separatist group of Al Habsyi Mesaya under Abu Sayyaf in the sea off Sabah and the Sulu islands on March 24.
President Joko Widodo expressed thanks to the Philippine government. "I (have) specially thanked the Philippines' government," he said at a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Bogor West Java on May 1.
He said without good cooperation between the two countries, it would have been impossible for the efforts to secure their release to be successful. He said the government is still working hard for the release of four other citizens still being held hostage.
The ten Indonesian hostages were flown to Jakarta from the air force base in Zamboanga, the Philippines, and arrived home in Indonesia on Sunday.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan said that the Indonesian government did not pay any ransom for the release of the 10 Indonesian crew members.
"Until now, we have never claimed that the government did so (paid ransom for the hostages) because we never did it," the minister stated at the Presidential Palace on Monday in response to the news circulating in the Philippines' media that the hostages were released after ransom was paid.
The Indonesian hostages were abducted while sailing to the waters of Sulu in southern Philippines on March 24, 2016. The Abu Sayyaf group had demanded a ransom worth 50 million pesos, or some Rp14.3 billion, for the release of the 10 Indonesian hostages.
"They were released without money being paid. It was the result of negotiations and cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines when it came to military intelligence," retired army Maj.Gen. Kivlan Zein said in a short message from the Philippines on Monday.
Kivlan said he represented PT Patria Maritime Lines, which owns the tugboat, in the negotiations that began on March 27, 2016 with the support of the Philippines authorities.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian military Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) and its Philippines counterpart, with the support of Sulu governor and leaders of lower district administrations in Sulu, also sought to persuade the abductors.
Finally, with persuasion and pressure exercised through military attacks and bombings, the abductors agreed to arrange to release the hostages by handing them over to the Sulu governor, Kivlan said.
He said currently he was in the process of securing the freedom of four other Indonesian crewmen of TB Henry, which was hijacked later by another group of separatists in the Philippines.
Indonesia's defense forces (TNI) commander General Gatot Nurmantyo said on Sunday that efforts were still on to release four other Indonesian citizens.
"I ask for your prayers so that they can also be released safely," he said at the Presidential Palace. ***2***(a014/INE)EDITED BY INE/H-YH (T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 03-05-2016 00:21:3 |
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