THE ferry had just docked at Zamboanga harbor in Mindanao, southern Philippines. The ocean crossing from Bangoa, an island at the Malaysia-Philippines border took Muhammad Yusuf Faiz, Nasir and Deddi Resdiana 10 hours.

They went to the Philippines for military training. Before they arrived, the three Indonesian citizens were picked up at the harbor by a police unit which had rushed in on them and taken them into custody.

The arrest took place on