THE Indonesian transportation ministry banned Indonesian-flagged vessels from sailing to the Philippines, the transport ministry said, after yet another violent kidnapping in the strife-torn waters between the two nations.
The Indonesian ministry announced the ban as Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder sought a meeting with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the Abu Sayyaf Group’s kidnapping and eventual killing of two of their nationals.
“This hijacking issue is a serious matter and cannot be tolerated anymore,” said Antonius Tonny Budiono, director-general for sea transportation of Jakarta’s transportation ministry.
The transport ministry issued a notice informing all harbor masters they were “strictly prohibited from issuing permits to all Indonesian-flagged vessels bound for the Philippines, without exception.”
The ruling was issued after the government confirmed seven Indonesian sailors were kidnapped at gunpoint earlier this week, and were being held hostage by an unknown group.
It’s the third time this year Indonesian sailors were abducted in the Sulu sea, a vital waterway that’s seen a spike in seaborne crime like armed robberies and kidnappings.
To prevent any commercial vessels from breaching the ban, Indonesia will also ramp up marine patrols in its waters bordering the southern Philippines, Budiono added.
It’s not yet clear how significantly trade will be affected by the ban, but it could severely disrupt the flow of goods from Southeast Asia’s largest economy—including natural resources like coal—to the Philippines.
The Sulu and Celebes seas form a key waterway between Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, and are used for the passage of 55 million metric tonnes of goods and over 18 million people per year.
Last month, the three countries agreed to launch a coordinated patrol of the waters after the recent surge of kidnappings.
The Indonesian sailors abducted this week were towing a coal barge through the Sulu sea when their tugboat was attacked by gunmen.
“The government will do everything possible to free these hostages,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters.
Sulu, a southern archipelago, is a known hideout of Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants who have earned millions of dollars from kidnappings in recent years.
A spokesman for the foreign ministry said he could not confirm whether a ransom demand had been made, or if Abu Sayyaf was responsible for the abductions.
Earlier this year the group kidnapped 14 Indonesian sailors, holding them in their stronghold in the southern Philippines. They were later freed but there was no information on whether a ransom was paid.
Meanwhile, the Canadian ambassador was in Davao City on Saturday for an activity in celebration of the 149th anniversary of Canada Day on July 1 and expressed hope to meet with Duterte.
But the President-elect was set to leave for Cebu City to attend a thanksgiving party with his supporters in Central Visayas.
Reeder said he was looking to meet with Duterte soon even as the envoy urged the government to press its operations against the Abu Sayyaf and make them pay for the killings of Canadian nationals John Ridsdel and Robert Hall.
The two Canadians were abducted by the Abu Sayyaf from a resort in Samal Island last September along with Filipina Marites Flor and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad.
The bandits had beheaded Ridsdel and Hall after ransom for their release was not paid and released Flor on Friday, but Sekkingstad remains in their custody.