REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla hopes that the 16 Indonesian citizens who were reported missing in Turkey are found soon.
"Of course, we cannot ensure whether it is true. The only ones who know the truth are their families. We hope they are found soon," Kalla said here on Friday afternoon.
He also asked the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry to investigate the information on the missing 16 citizens.
The vice president emphasized that Indonesia is firmly resisting the movement of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
"We cannot comment on the speculations. They may not be missing. They could just be touring some places," Kalla pointed out, speaking about the possibility that the 16 citizens may have joined the ISIS.
To probe the location of the missing Indonesians, the government should have details identifying each person, Kalla stated. The Indonesian government cannot give instructions related to the security of Indonesian people abroad yet.
"We do not support Indonesians who join the ISIS because it goes against our state principals and religion," Kalla affirmed.
Earlier, the Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey, reported 16 Indonesian citizens missing after they separated from their tour group on arrival at the Ataturk International Airport on February 24.
The missing Indonesians told their tour group leader that they would join the group on February 26.
However, the tour leader later received an SMS that stated that they cannot join the group, and they have been missing since then.
The Consulate General received the report on the missing people on February 28.
The 16 Indonesians did not return home on the scheduled date of March 3.
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