VIVAnews – The fate of the hostages, including 11 Indonesians, of the pirates in the Somalian waters is still not clear. Although they are in safe and healthy condition, it remains unclear as to when they would be released. The pirates have not stated their demands; not even the ransom.
“Based on the latest report that we received, the hostages are safe and healthy. But there is no information yet as to when they would be released,” said Department of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah, Jakarta, Friday, Dec. 19.
According to Faizasyah, based on the experience of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the hostage situation could last for months. “Rescuing the hostage can take three to five months. We received the information from the ship’s owner yesterday and immediately contacted the hostages’ family to explain the situation,” he said. Meanwhile, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister, Rais Yatim, there is enough food supply to last for only one month.
In the past three years the Department of Foreign Affairs have seen three hostage situations that involves Indonesian ship crew in the Somalian waters and Aden Gulf. The rescue process took months.
On 17 August 2005, 14 Indonesians who were part of the crew of a Taiwanese ship were part of a hostage situation. They were only released in December 2005. A similar experience happened during the 4 April 2006 hostage situation. “Nine crew members of a South Korean ship were released only on 29 July 2006,” he said. In 11 May 2007 there was another hostage situation involving four Indonesian crew members aboard a Tanzanian ship that also involved Indonesian crew members. They were released on 4 November 2007.
Faizasyah explained that with regard to the current situation, things could get complicated because the hijackers would only deal with the ship owner, in this case Mas Indra Shipping Malaysian Bhd. Therefore, the Indonesian government, through its representatives in Yemen and Kenya continue to cooperate with the ship’s owner “Based on communication with the ship’s owner, there have been no statements from the hijackers regarding demands. They have asked for ransom but have not specified the amount, said Faizasyah.
As reported earlier, the identity of the 11 Indonesians have already been discovered but the government cannot release their names pending the approval of their families. In addition, the information is being withheld because there are many Indonesian working as ship crew members with the similar names.
Somalian pirates hijacked a Malaysian tugboat, hired by the oil company Total from France, as well as a Turkish cargo ship at the Yemen Beach, Tuesday, Dec. 12. According to Andrew Mwangura, Seafarers Assistance Programme’s representative in Kenya, the hijacking occurred while the tugboat was on its way to Malaysia.
According to Faizasyah, the UN Security Council has already authorized the international community to chase the pirates up to Somalia. However, Indonesia itself does not have any plans yet to send any troops. “For the time being there is no plan for Indonesia to send security troops there,” he said.
Translated by: Ramona Sofianne Dewi
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