It also urged fishermen to not venture into sea on account of “unguaranteed security conditions in the waters off Sabah”.Nunukan, N Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu reminded Indonesians in Sabah State, Malaysia, to step up vigil after five Indonesian fishermen were abducted recently in the Lahad Datu waters.
According to the notice signed by the Consul at the Consular Division Muhammad Muhsinin Dolisada and made available here on Thursday, the five Indonesians were abducted allegedly by the Abu Sayyaf militant group based in South Philippines on January 16 in the waters of Tambisan, Lahad Datu.
Dolisada stated that the Indonesian Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu had continued to work closely with local authorities to intensify vigil and avoid any future cases of abduction.
The office has also appealed to Indonesian fishermen to be heedful of the warning if they intend to continue operating in the waters.
It also urged fishermen to not venture into sea on account of “unguaranteed security conditions in the waters off Sabah”.
Five Indonesian fishermen were abducted from the eastern edge of Sabah waters off Lahad Datu by kidnap-for-ransom groups linked to Abu Sayyaf militants from southern Philippines.
Six gunmen, wearing black overalls, took hostage five of the eight fishermen from their Sabah-registered trawler during the incident in the waters between Tambisan and Kuala Meruap in Lahad Datu near the Philippines sea border at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday (Jan 16).
Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Hazani Ghazali stated that the gunmen were aboard a speedboat and fled toward the neighboring country after taking the five hostage.
Around 1 p.m. local time on Friday (Jan 17), the local fishermen told marine police in Lahad Datu that they had spotted fishing nets in the area but could not find the trawler or its crew in the vicinity of Tambisan.
Esscom security forces located the trawler heading in the direction of Tambisan, and an elite squad boarded the trawler to find three crew members inside.
The kidnapped crewmen were identified as skipper Arsyad Dahlan, 41; La Baa, 32; Riswanto Hayano, 27; Edi Lawalopo, 53; and Syarizal Kastamiran, 29. All were Indonesians working for a Sandakan-based fishing company. Related news: Trilateral cooperation should be maximized to avert hostage taking
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Translator: Rusman, Sri Haryati
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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