TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the four crew members of tugboat Henry taken hostage by Abu Sayyaf militia are in good condition.

“Based on the information I gathered on Wednesday afternoon about their [four hostages] condition, alhamdulillah (Thank God), they are in good condition,” she said yesterday at Gedung Agung, Yogyakarta.

The four crew members of the tugboat taken hostage are Aryanto (skipper), Piter (chief officer), Dede (second officer) and Samsir (helmsman).

Minister Retno said that her office continues to monitor the development of information, condition and position of the hostages held by pirates in maritime boundaries of the Philippines and Malaysia.

At present, she went on, Indonesia has also stepped up coordination with the Philippine government and authorities to improve the prospect of releasing the four crew members.

“As we already know, yesterday (May 4), we have held a separate bilateral meeting with the Philippine Foreign Secretary to help the release of the four hostages,” she added.

Tugboat Henry has been hijacked by Abu Sayyaf group since March 26, 2016, holding the hostages for over a month.

ANTARA