Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia to meet on Abu Sayyaf hostages

From Antara News (Jul 11): Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia to meet on Abu Sayyaf hostages

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said the defense ministers of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia would meet in Kuala Lumpur to discuss way of releasing three Indonesians held hostage by the Philippine separatist group of Abu Sayyaf.

The three Indonesian sailors were caught on Sunday (July 10) in the sea off Lahad Datu, Malaysia and detained by the separatist rebels.

"Tomorrow the defense ministers would meet in Kuala Lumpur," Retno said after a coordinating meeting of the Crisis Center at the office of the Coordinating Minister for Law, Security and Political Affairs here on Monday. 

She said the meeting between Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and his Philippine counterpart Delfin Lorenzana, and Malaysian counterpart Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, is expected to result in a concrete action to be implemented under defense cooperation between the three countries. 

It was the fourth times the Philippine separatists took Indonesian hostages.

Direct negotiations with the separatists succeeded in releasing a number of Indonesian crewmen of vessels taken hostage by the separatist group earlier.

Retno said defense cooperation agreement needs to be implemented to prevent similar incident.

She said cooperation agreement was already signed by the three countries on border patrol in 1975 and there were Trilateral meeting in Yogyakarta on 5 May 2016, and meeting of defense ministers in Manila on 26 June 2016. 

Under the border patrol agreement between Indonesia and the Philippines in 1975 , there were three types of cooperation to be implemented between the two countries - coordinated cooperation, joint patrol, and coordinated patrol .

President Joko Widodo has asked Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to take firm action to release the Indonesian hostages and Retno also had held intensive communications with her counterpart Perfecto Rivas Yasay.

The three Indonesians of seven crewmen of a Malaysian fishing vessel were taken hostages on Sunday off Lahad Datu Negeri Sabah.

The owner of the fishing vessel Chia Tong Len, said the kidnappers took only Indonesian passport holders.

The three Indonesian hostages are Lorence Koten (34) Teodorus Kopong (42) and Emanuel (40).

The foreign ministry said the hostages were taken away toward Tawi-tawi, southern Philippines.

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/105575/indonesia-philippines-and-malaysia-to-meet-on-abu-sayyaf-hostages