REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's Defense Ministry is constantly monitoring the Indonesian citizens abducted by an armed group in the Philippines.
"We continue to monitor the operation of the Philippine military. The Philippines has deployed 10 thousand personnel to release the hostages over the past week," Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu noted here on Thursday.
During the operation, the Philippine troops have killed some 40 Abu Sayyaf rebels in offensives on the southern islands and have wounded some of the group's members.
The minister stated that the Philippine government had intensified operations to free the hostages.
"Seven Indonesian citizens have been held by an armed group in the Zulu Islands, South Philippines," he remarked.
The minister has confirmed that the Indonesian citizens held captive by the Abu Sayyaf militant group in the southern Philippines are in good condition.
The minister affirmed that joint maritime patrols by Indonesia and the Philippines should be realized soon to secure Indonesian ships and their crew sailing through the Philippine waters.
Coordinating Minister for Law, Security, and Political Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan earlier stated that a team had been set up to negotiate the release of Indonesian ship crewmen held hostage by Abu Sayyaf.
The team of negotiators comprises Indonesians and Filipinos under the coordination of the Indonesian government.
The team was formed in line with the policy of the Indonesian government, which prefers negotiations for the release of hostages, Luhut said.
The military option is not yet feasible as the Philippine Constitution does not allow the operations of foreign military in the country, he pointed out.
"No, not yet (permission for conducting a military operation)," he stated.
Meanwhile, Indonesia called to hold a trilateral meeting with Malaysia and the Philippines to discuss cooperation to secure the sea trade lanes.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday next week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
On Sunday, three more Indonesians were held captive by the separatist group, in addition to the seven other Indonesian sailors taken hostage earlier.
The three were the crew of a Malaysian fishing vessel carrying a total of seven crewmen, but non-Indonesian members were set free by the separatist group.
Indonesian Military Chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo expressed ire on the separatists' strategy of taking only Indonesians as hostages.
"What makes me very angry is they selected Indonesians (as hostages)," the general added.
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