Anifah, Retno Discuss Kidnap Of Indonesians

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Nov 8 (Bernama) -- The foreign ministers of Malaysia and Indonesia have held discussions here on issues of common concern, including the kidnap of two Indonesian citizens on Nov 5 off east Malaysian state Sabah. Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi held the talks yesterday, according to Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Foreign Ministry). It said in a statement that the two ministers expressed their commitment to enhance existing cooperation under the framework of the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement Indonesia–Malaysia–the Philippines on Immediate Measures to Address Security Issues in the Maritime Areas of Common Concern (TCA). "They also agreed to intensify efforts to include the relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) under this framework to ensure the effective implementation of the TCA," it said. The two Indonesian citizens, aged 52 and 46, were kidnapped in separate incidents in Kertam waters, about 15 nautical miles from Sungai Kinabatangan, between 11am and 11.45am on Nov 5. Wisma Putra said Anifah and Retno also agreed to work together with the Philippines government to locate, ensure the safety and secure the release of the kidnap victims. --BERNAMA