JAKARTA. Following the kidnapping of seven Indonesian crew members of the Charles 001 and Robby 152 vessels belonging to PT Rusianto Bersaudara by an armed group in the waters of southern Philippines, the Indonesian Transportation Ministry has prohibited all Indonesian vessels from sailing to the Philippines.  

An instruction signed by the ministry’s director general for sea transportation, A. Tonny Budiono, prohibits seaport chiefs nationwide from issuing sailing permits for Indonesian vessels bound for the Philippines.

“We take the piracy seriously and cannot tolerate similar incidents in the future. Therefore, I ask all navigation district heads to instruct all maritime radio communication stations to monitor and relay information on any indications and alerts as early as possible,” Tonny said in a statement.

Tonny added that the ministry had also instructed all heads of sea bases to increase patrols and surveillance in their respective areas.

Seven Indonesians believed to have been kidnapped by the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group are being kept hostage after being ambushed in the Sulu Sea in the southern Philippines on Thursday. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has condemned the repeated cases of hostage taking, with the latest being the third time Indonesians have been captured by militants this year. (Damar Harsanto)

Editor: Dupla Kartini