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7 Indonesian sailors held hostages in Philippines

Friday, 24 June 2016 7:09 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 June 2016 7:09 AM ]

Indonesian sailors arrive for a ceremony to hand hostages over to their families at the Foreign Ministry office in Jakarta on May 2, 2016, after 10 Indonesian sailors held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants returned home. ©AFP

Indonesia says at least seven crewmen of a tugboat have been held hostage in the southern Philippines, the latest in a string of abductions in the waters between the two Southeast Asian states.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Friday that the abductions were carried out by two different armed groups in separate attacks on the tugboat towing a coal-carrying barge in the Sulu Sea on Monday.

“The kidnap happened twice on the Sulu Sea on June 20, 2016. The first incident happened at around 11:30 a.m. local time (0330 GMT), and the second at around 12:45 p.m. local time (0445 GMT), by two different armed groups. The boats were carrying a total of 13 sailors. Seven of them were taken away and six were freed,” Marsudi said.

“We got confirmation (yesterday) of an incident of kidnapping involving Indonesian crew of a ship,” she added.

The top Indonesian diplomat also urged the Manila government to take prompt action and ensure safety in its waters.

“The government will do everything possible to free these hostages,” Marsudi noted, adding, “The safety of these seven Indonesian citizens is our priority.”

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has yet not confirmed whether a ransom demand had been made, or if the Daesh-affiliated militant group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines was responsible for the abductions.

Earlier this year, up to 18 Indonesians and Malaysians were kidnapped in three attacks on tugboats in Philippine waters.

This undated image grab taken on October 13, 2015 from a video uploaded on YouTube shows gunmen standing behind three foreign men (not pictured) who were kidnapped in the southern Philippines. ©AFP

Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia agreed in May to carry out coordinated patrols to secure the region’s busy waterways and to confront the rise of sea hijackings. However, coordinated patrols are yet to get underway.

Abu Sayyaf, which specializes in kidnappings-for-ransom, is highly active in the region.

The militant group recently beheaded two Canadian nationals after ransom deadlines passed.

The notorious group is still holding Malaysian seamen as well as Japanese, Dutch, Norwegian and Philippine citizens.

Last year, two major commanders of Abu Sayyaf declared their support for the Daesh Takfiri terrorists based in Iraq and Syria. The group was once regarded as an offshoot of al-Qaeda.

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