Indonesia Expresses Concern Over Kidnap Risk To Nationals In Malaysia's Sabah

SANDAKAN (Sabah, Malaysia), Nov 9 (Bernama) -- Indonesia has expressed its concern to Malaysia over the kidnap risk its nationals face working as the crew of fishing vessels in east Malaysian state Sabah. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi conveyed the concern on Tuesday to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman and Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander DCP Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah's capital city). She said the latest Indonesians to be kidnapped were two skippers of fishing boats. They were abducted last Saturday in the Kertam waters off Kinabatangan. "We seek the cooperation of Malaysia to step up patrols in Sabah waters to ensure that there is no abduction of Indonesian nationals," she said when addressing several Indonesian crew of fishing vessels at the jetty here. She also met the wives of the two kidnapped Indonesians. Retno said that at a three-nation meeting last May, Indonesia gave its commitment to cooperate with Malaysia and the Philippines in combating kidnappings. Indonesia wanted such cooperation so that the economic well-being of its nationals working in Malaysia were unaffected and they faced no risk to their safety, she said. Retno on Monday met Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in Putrajaya (Malaysia's federal administrative capital) to discuss, among others, the kidnap of the two Indonesians. --BERNAMA