SANDAKAN: Indonesia has expressed its concern to Malaysia over the kidnap risk its nationals working as the crew of fishing vessels in Sabah face.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi conveyed the concern yesterday to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander DCP Datuk Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid in Kota Kinabalu.
She said the latest Indonesians to be kidnapped were two skippers of fishing boats. They were abducted last Saturday in the Kertam waters off Kinabatangan.
“We seek the cooperation of Malaysia to step up patrols in Sabah waters to ensure that there is no abduction of Indonesian nationals,” she said when addressing several Indonesian crew of fishing vessels at the jetty here.
She also met the wives of the two kidnapped Indonesians.
Retno said that at a three-nation meeting last May, Indonesia gave its commitment to cooperate with Malaysia and the
Philippines in combating kidnappings.
Indonesia wanted such cooperation so that the economic well-being of its nationals working in Malaysia were unaffected and they faced no risk to their safety, she said.
Retno on Monday met Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman in Putrajaya to discuss, among others, the kidnap of the two Indonesians. — Bernama