Security Minister Confirms Three Indonesians Abducted By Abu Sayyaf Group

Jakarta (Antara Bali)- Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan confirmed that three Indonesians had been taken hostage by members of the Abu Sayyaf group.

The Indonesian government had constantly kept itself abreast of the latest developments and had coordinated with its Malaysian counterpart, he noted here, Monday.

The three Indonesian citizens hailing from East Nusa Tenggara Province, who were abducted by the armed group in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia, were crew members working for a Malaysian employer, Chia Tong Lim.

The Indonesians were catching fish with four other crew members when they were held at gunpoint by the abductors.

Their employer reported the incident to the police in Sabah, his state, on Sunday.

The three hostages are 34-year-old Lorence Koten, 42-year-old Teodorus Kopong, and 40-year-old Emanuel.

Minister Pandjaitan affirmed that Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines had agreed to deploy military personnel to guard cargo vessels sailing to and from the Philippines.

"It has been agreed that there will be escorts in future," he emphasized.

The government, however, is also evaluating an option to deploy personnel of the Indonesian Defense Forces to free the hostages directly.

Since March this year, Indonesia has faced four hostage incidents mostly in the waters of southern Philippines, with the two earliest crises ending peacefully as 14 Indonesians were released safely.

Ten Indonesian boat crew members were released on May 1 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 May 11.

 In the third crisis, seven Indonesian ship crew members of Tugboat Charles 001 and Barge Robby 152 were abducted in two incidents, with the first occurring on June 20, 2016, at 11:30 a.m. local time and another at 12:45 p.m. local time in the Sulu Sea while on their way back from the Philippines after delivering coal cargo. (WDY)