Minister: Seven Indonesian hostages in S Philippines located

Minister: Seven Indonesian hostages in S Philippines located.

JAKARTA -- The government has been able to locate seven citizens held hostage by armed groups in south Philippines since June 20, according to Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.

"Our seven Indonesian crew members are in good condition, and they are currently still around Jolo Island," Minister Marsudi noted in a press statement at the Foreign Affairs Ministry's office here on Tuesday.

Furthermore, Minister Marsudi stated that the seven hostages were sometimes split into two groups while moving around Jolo Island.

"We have delivered this update to the families of the crew members, and we will keep them informed from time to time," she affirmed.

Minister Marsudi added that the ministry had sent some diplomats to Davao in a bid to gather more information and to communicate with related parties in the Philippines to discuss ways to secure the release of the hostages.

"The Indonesian government's main priority is the safety of the hostages, and we will continue to intensively communicate and coordinate with all parties," she emphasized.

Earlier, on June 24, Minister Marsudi had revealed that two vessels --- a tugboat named Charles 001 and a scow called Robby 152 --- were hijacked by two different armed groups in two stages, at around 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. local time.

After the hijacking, six Indonesian crew members and the two vessels were released, while seven others were abducted and held hostage by the armed groups.

The six crew members aboard tugboat Charles and scow Robby arrived in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on June 25, and according to the Indonesian Navy, they could go home to their families soon.

This is the third instance that the armed groups have hijacked Indonesian vessels, with the first incident involving the kidnapping of seamen in late March, while four other Indonesian sailors were abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants in mid-April.

The hostages were released in early May, and later on, the Indonesian government had held a trilateral meeting with Malaysia and the Philippines in Yogyakarta.

The three governments had agreed to conduct coordinated patrols in their maritime border areas to prevent future incidents of hijacking and other crimes.