Indonesian crew taken hostage by militants

From SBS (MaR 29): Indonesian crew taken hostage by militants

Ten Indonesians have been taken hostage by hardline Islamic militants who have already made demands for ransom, the government says.

Ransom demands have been made over 10 Indonesian crew members taken hostage by Islamic militants in Philippine waters.

The crew were on a tugboat and barge flying Indonesian flags and carrying 7000 tonnes of coal when hijacked.

It is not known exactly when or where the boats were overrun, only that the owner of the vessels discovered what had happened on March 26 via a call from someone claiming to be from the Abu Sayyaf Group - a band of militants from the southern Philippines.

The hijackers have since contacted the owner twice demanding ransom, Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said on Tuesday.

The group is known for its kidnap-for-ransom and extortion ventures, with the former in particular being its main source of funding since its creation in 1991.

It has been linked to numerous kidnappings, including the 2011 hostage taking of Australian Warren Richard Rodwell, released more than 15 months later after a payment of about $A94,000.

Abu Sayyaf has also been tied to larger deadly attacks, including on a wedding in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines in November 2011 in which three people were killed.

Months earlier five people died when an improvised explosive was detonated outside an elementary school in Jolo, also in the south of the country.

Mr Nasir said the Indonesia's foreign ministry was continuing to communicate and co-ordinate with various people, including the foreign minister of the Philippines.

"The priority at the moment is the safety of 10 Indonesians taken hostage.

"The company so far has conveyed the information on this to the family of 10 crews taken hostage," he said.

The vessels - tugboat Brahma 12 and barge Anand 12 - were on their way from South Kalimantan to Batangas in the southern Philippines when captured.

The abandoned tug has since been found by Philippine authorities.

The barge and the 7000 tonnes of coal remain in the hands of the kidnappers whose location is unknown.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/03/29/indonesian-crew-taken-hostage-militants