APD | Indonesia receives body of hostage died in Philippines’s raid in Abu Sayyaf base

By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

JAKARTA, Apr. 7 (APD）– Indonesia’s representatives have received the body of an Indonesian hostage who died in the Philippines troops’ raid on Abu Sayyaf terrorist group’s base in Sulu province, would repatriate the body and a saved Indonesian hostage from the Philippines as soon as possible.

Director of Citizen Protection in Indonesia Foreign Ministry Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said on Saturday that the handing over of the 2 Indonesian hostages was conducted earlier in the day in the Philippines’ Westmincom military base in Zamboanga.

The killed Indonesian hostage, Hariadin, drowned in the sea when he and another Indonesian hostage Heri Ardiansyah tried to escape from Abu Sayyaf’s base in Simusa Island on Friday afternoon. The island was attacked by the Philippines troops since Thursday.

“Hariadin and Heri Ardiansyah swam into the sea in their struggle to escape from attacks of the Philippines troops against their captor’s base in Simusa Island. Heri Adiansyah survived,” Lalu said here.

He said that Indonesian government has conveyed information about the death of Hariadin to his family, conveyed deepest condolence over his passing.

The two Indonesian hostages and a Malaysian, Jari Abdullah, were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants when they sailed in Malaysia’s Sandakan waters on December 5 last year. They were the crews of a Malaysian fishing boat hijacked by the militants.

Jari Abdullah was shot during the shootout between the troops and Abu Sayyaf militants on Thursday. Jari died in a Zamboanga hospital after being rushed by the troops in a critical condition.  

The Philippines military stated that Hariadin and Heri were picked up from the sea by a patrolling Philippines navy boat.

The attack in Simusa Island was part of the Philippines authorities move to release hostages from Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic States (IS)-linked terrorist group based in Southern Philippines.

Hariadin and Heri are the last Indonesian hostages held by Abu Sayyaf. According to Indonesian foreign ministry, 36 Indonesian citizens have been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf group since 2016. 34 of them have previously been released.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)