An Indonesian vessel is still being held by the Abu Sayyaf militant group at unknown location in the Philippines after another vessel was handed over to the Philippine government and the notorious group asked for a ransom of 50 million Philippine pesos (US$1.1 million), officials have said.

Previously, two Indonesian flagged vessels, the tugboat Brahma 12 and the barge Anand 12, carrying 7,000 tons of coal and 10 Indonesian crew, were taken hostage by the militant group, according to information from the Foreign Ministry.

The hijackers asked for 50 million pesos or Rp 15 billion, National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutiyoso said on Tuesday.

"The crew are being held hostage but treated well. The hijackers asked for a ransom," he told news portal tempo.co.

The vessels were hijacked after departing from the Puting River in South Kalimantan for Batangas in the southern Philippines. The Brahma 12 has been released and is in the hands of the Philippine authorities. Meanwhile, the Anand 12 and the 10 crew are still being held hostage and their location is unknown.

The vessels' owner found out about the hijacking on March 26 after receiving two phone calls from a stranger claiming to be a member of the Abu Sayyaf group.

The government was prioritizing the safety of the 10 crew, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry is said to be communicating intensively with the Philippine government regarding the incident.

Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf is a notorious Islamic extremist group in the southern Philippines, known for kidnappings, beheadings, bombings and extortion over the past decade in the largely Christian Philippines.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by The Jakarta Post

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