Philippines Armed Group Kidnaps 2 Indonesian
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21 February 2019 15:28 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Officials have confirmed that two Indonesians are being held hostage by a Philippines armed groups. Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, confirmed that there were two Indonesians being held captive.
Iqbal said the two men were kidnapped when catching fish in the waters of Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia on December 5, 2018. They were sailing with a Malaysian citizen.
Read: 3 Indonesian Hostages Released by Armed Group in Philippines
The two Indonesian men are residents of Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi named Hariadin and Heri Ardiasyah. Until now, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has not succeeded in freeing them.
Iqbal said the men were taken by an armed group in the southern Philippines. "This is the 11th kidnapping of Indonesian citizens in Sabah waters by armed groups," Iqbal said in a written statement Wednesday night, February 20.
A video was posted online showing two men, presumed to be Indonesians, bowing their heads to the grounds with machetes being held against them. The two Indonesians were surrounded by men wearing masks and carrying weapons.
Lani Diana Wijaya
