JAKARTA: Three Indonesians who were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf in Sabah in January 2020, have been rescued by Filipino forces on Thursday (March 18).
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry in a statement said the three from Kabupaten Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi were reported to be in good health and are in the process of being sent back to Indonesia.
“The rescue operation was carried out on Thursday evening in the waters of Tawi-Tawi when the boat used by the group with the three victims onboard, capsized in rough sea.
“They (the hostages) were being transferred by the group from Indanan, Sulu, to another place after getting wind of an integrated operation by Filipino security forces,” said the statement.
“The three were rescued before being brought to Zamboanga and will be flown to Manila for processing before returning to Indonesia.
On January 16 2020, five Indonesian fishermen who were working on a Malaysian fishing boat were kidnapped in the waters of Tambisan, Sabah, Malaysia.
The three rescued hostages were identified as Arizal Kasta Miran, 30, Arsad Dahlan, 41, and Andi Riswanto Hayano, 26.
Another abducted victim, La Baa, 32, was found dead on Sept 28 2020 in Patikul, Sulu, Philippines while the fate of another hostage, a 12-year-old boy is still unknown. – Bernama