Press Statement of The President of The Republic of Indonesia on the Release of Indonesians Held Hostage in The Philippines, at The Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, 1 May 2016
Unofficial English Translation
AssalamuÂ’alaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakaatuh,
Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah the Almighty, 10 Indonesian ship crew members who have been held hostage by a militant group since 26 March 2016 were finally released. They will be flying from Zamboanga to Jakarta and are scheduled to arrive in Jakarta at midnight. The 10 Indonesian citizens, our people, are in good condition and will return to Indonesia soon.
Allow me to emphasize that many parties are involved in the cooperation to release the Indonesian hostages. Therefore, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all parties, all Indonesian people who have taken parts in the efforts to release the hostages, through both formal and informal networks.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the Government of the Philippines. Without a good cooperation, the efforts to release the hostages would not bring a good result. Currently, we still continue to make best efforts to release the other four Indonesian citizens.
Besides making efforts to release the hostages, one of the issues that requires attention is the security in the maritime borders and their surrounding areas. Therefore, there will be a meeting between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines on 5 May 2016. The meeting will be attended by Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commander of Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), as well as Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Commanders of Malaysia and the Philippines.
I think that is all I can say. Thank you.
AssalamuÂ’alaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakaatuh. (Humas) (RAS/AW/YM/Naster)