"We and the people in NTT hope that three of our citizens kidnapped or taken hostage will be released immediately," Raya stated in Kupang, Tuesday.
Raya remarked that the NTT provincial government had discussed the terms of the release with the central government.
The central governments response has also been swift. Hence, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno L.P. Marsudi had immediately issued a statement on Monday (July 11) regarding the kidnapping of three Indonesian citizens in Lahada Datu, Sabah, Malaysia.
The minister reiterated that such acts of Indonesian crew being taken hostage by armed groups in the waters bordering Malaysia and the Philippines would no longer be tolerated. Hence, serious and swift efforts should be made either by the government of the Philippines or Malaysia.
"Yesterdays revelation by the ministers offers a ray of hope that steps are being taken in the right direction. In fact, several other ministers were also urged to take prompt steps to secure the release of the hostages," Raya emphasized.
The NTT government has, so far, extended help to the central government to contact the immediate family of the three kidnapped citizens as their passports were issued in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, but they were natives of NTT.
"I have instructed the East Flores district government to locate the immediate family of the three victims, who were taken hostage," stated Raya, who had served as NTT governor for two terms in office.
Earlier, three residents of NTT had been kidnapped while fishing in the waters of Felda Sahabat, Tungku, Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia on Saturday (July 9) at around 12 a.m. local time.
The three residents are Lorens Koten, the skipper of the pukat tunda ship LD/114/5S, and crew members: Emanuel and Teodorus Kopong.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
