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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Indonesian Lawmakers Push for Task Force to Free Somali Pirate Hostages

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Indonesian lawmakers are pushing for the formation of a special task force to secure the release of four Indonesian citizens held hostage by Somali pirates.
  • The hostages, part of the 17-member crew of the MT Honour 25, were seized in April 2026, with ransom demands escalating significantly.
  • Efforts to negotiate are hampered by difficulties in contacting pirates and the hostages' shifting locations, prompting calls for a coordinated military and diplomatic response.

Indonesian lawmakers are urging the government to establish a dedicated task force to facilitate the rescue of four Indonesian citizens held hostage by Somali pirates. The crew members are part of the 17-person contingent aboard the MT Honour 25, which was hijacked in Somali waters in April 2026.

We are coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant parties to develop a plan for the release of the four Indonesian hostages and other hostages.

— Syamsu RizalSpeaking to reporters in Makassar, South Sulawesi, about the ongoing efforts to free the hostages.

Syamsu Rizal, a member of Commission I of the DPR RI, stated that coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant parties is underway to plan the hostages' release. He highlighted that Indonesian law allows the military to engage in non-war operations, including protecting citizens abroad, and that military action could be a last resort.

Negotiations face significant hurdles, including uncertainty about who to contact and the pirates' shifting locations, making surveillance difficult. Ransom demands have also fluctuated wildly, starting at $2 million USD and escalating to $5 million and eventually $10 million USD. The company employing the crew is willing to comply with decisions but has limited financial capacity.

We ask the TNI, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and related ministries to form a task force so that the rescue of Indonesian citizens in Somalia can be carried out in a measured way.

— Syamsu RizalEmphasizing the need for a coordinated government response to the hostage situation.

To address these challenges, Syamsu requested the formation of a task force involving the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other relevant ministries. He shared a video received from the father of Captain Ashari Samadikun, showing the hostages' condition, including prayers and drinking murky water, to strengthen the case for forming the task force. The father of Captain Ashari Samadikun has pleaded with the government for immediate action, as his family has not received any updates for nearly a month.

I showed the video, it was played for everyone. When he (the victim) was praying, when he was drinking water from a mineral water bottle that was already murky, and Ashari's statement were all recorded on video. I showed it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the TNI so that a task force could be formed. It was reported so that coordination could be established.

— Syamsu RizalDescribing how he presented evidence of the hostages' condition to government officials to push for the task force.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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