Bandung, W Java (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo admitted here on Monday that the government could not act fast to secure the release of Indonesian citizens being held hostage in the Philippines because they are currently in the territory of a foreign country.
"We must understand that they are not in our territory and so we cannot move fast to intervene. They are in a foreign countrys territory," he said after an event to familiarize the business community with the tax amnesty program.
President Joko Widodo also confirmed that another Indonesian citizen had been abducted by Abu Sayyaf while aboard a Malaysian boat.
Herman bi Manggak, the skipper of a shrimp boat belonging to Malaysia, was abducted while sailing in the Kinabatang in Sabah waters bordering the Philippines on Wednesday (Aug 3).
"Again, we must understand that it was a Malaysian boat that was ambushed while our citizen happened to be there," he said.
President Joko Widodo said that the Philippine government have pounded and laid a siege to the areas which are believed to be used by the Abu Sayyaf group as its base.
Foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir told newsmen on Sunday that actually, there were two other crewmen - one an Indonesian citizen and another a Malaysian who were also abducted but they were released.
The abduction of Herman took the total number of Indonesian citizens being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf to 11. Seven of them were members of the crew of TB Charles and were abducted at the end of June while three others were abducted at the end of July in the waters in the eastern part of Sabah.(WDY)
