"The government will take faster measures to rescue the Indonesian sailors who are being held hostage by Somali pirates," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said in a dialog here on Monday night.
Fadel said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had several times chaired cabinet meetings to discuss ways to rescue the Indonesian sailors in Somalia.
Besides, he said the government had taken a number of steps to overcome the problem.
But the minister admitted that he was not in position to explain to the public the steps being taken by the government.
Meanwhile, President Yudhoyono has asked his countrymen to support and give the opportunity to the government to overcome the hostage-taking drama of Somali pirates.
"All possible ways and options will be taken into account by the government but we cannot explain all of them to the public because it deals with the security and safety of the 20 Indonesian ship crews who are being held hostage by Somali pirates," President Yudhoyono said when chairing a cabinet meeting at his office on Tuesday.
The head of state said all along since the report about the piracy incident, the government had prepared a number of ways in an effort to set free the Indonesian crews.
"I ask your understanding to seriously give the support and opportunity to the government to set them free," the president said.
He added that according to Law No.14/2008 on open pubic information, a number of public information could not be disclosed to the people with national defense and security consideration.
The president said that the time would come when the information would be conveyed as part of government accountability to the public.
According to the president, some 27 foreign ships including MV Sinar Kudus of Indonesia were being hijacked by Somali pirates at present in Somali water.
(Uu.O001/HAJM/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
