TEMPO.CO, Tarakan - The Indonesian government has responded aggressively to the second kidnapping of Indonesian nationals by the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf armed group by stationing elite troops in the city of Tarakan in North Kalimantan.
The statement was delivered by Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) General Gatot Nurmantyo on April 18, 2016, while reviewing the preparedness of the three-dimensional elite troops, which were rehearsing in Tarakan. Nurmantyo was accompanied by several high-ranking Indonesian military and police officers.
The commander stated that his visit to Tarakan city was in line with President Joko Widodo`s instructions in a bid to address the second kidnapping of Indonesians by the militant group.
"My visit to this place (Tarakan) is based on President Widodos order to respond assertively to the second kidnapping of Indonesians by the Abu Sayyaf group," he informed journalists.
In view of the Indonesian citizens held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines, President Widodo has instructed the TNI to ready troops to be deployed at any time and in any critical situation.
General Nurmantyo affirmed that the purpose of his visit to the city was to analyze the situation and readiness of the troops to fight at any time as Tarakan was located in proximity to the border areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where the Indonesian residents had been held hostage by the gunmen group.
"Tarakan City is selected as the location for the elite troops to rehearse as it is located very close to the border areas and the location of the Indonesians being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf group," he stated.
However, he noted that the TNI was still holding exercises in other areas and will also determine the subsequent locations to conduct the rehearsals secretly.
With the Indonesian authorities still struggling to secure the release of the 10 sailors kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group since March 26, 2016, the nation is now facing yet another hostage crisis involving four more Indonesians who were abducted in the waters of the Malaysia-Philippine maritime border.
The four Indonesian crew members were kidnapped on April 15 at 6:31 p.m. local time when unidentified pirates tried to hijack two Indonesian-flagged boats: tugboat TB Henry, and Barge Christi.
The two boats were on their way from Cebu, the Philippines, to Tarakan, North Kalimantan, when the hijacking occurred, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry noted in a statement in Jakarta on April 16.
The boats carried 10 Indonesian crew members, of which one was shot, five managed to escape, and four were abducted by the pirates.
In a two-minute video viewed by The Straits Times, the hostages are shown demanding the government to pay a ransom of 900 million pesos, or US$26.5 million, by 3 p.m. local time on April 25.
ANTARA
