"Thank God, the four Indonesian citizens, who were held hostage by the armed group, have been released," he stated at a press conference, adding that the condition of the four boat crewmen was fine.
"They have been released, thanks to the sound cooperation between the Philippine and Indonesian governments," he affirmed in the company of Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces General Gatot Nurmantyo.
President Widodo remarked that the four were now with the Philippine authorities and would soon be handed over to Indonesia.
"I thanked the Philippine government for its sound cooperation and efforts for the second time to secure the release of the Indonesian hostages," he stated.
The president also expressed gratitude for the nations initiative to hold a trilateral meeting between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines in Yogyakarta on May 5 that had yielded results.
"This operation was successful due to the implementation of the results of the meeting," he added.
Ten Indonesian boat crew members were recently released after being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf group since March 26, 2016, while the four others held captive since April 15, 2016, were set free by the same group on Wednesday. (WDY)
