Can Hostage-Taking be Stopped?

Like threading a needle, the government must act cautiously when it attempts to release the seven Indonesians now held hostage in the southern Philippines. It must to use all its powers to rescue the hostages held captive by Abu Sayyaf, a splinter group of the Moro National Liberation Front, the separatists who have already struck a truce with the Philippine government. Clever negotiations are also required to secure the hostages release without paying any ransom.

Negotiations need to be carried out with the Philippine government, which continues to aggressively pursue Abu Sayyaf. Negotiations are important because the Philippines still objects to any Indonesian military intervention. It rejects any Indonesian military action on the grounds that the hostages were seized on its waters and not on Indonesian territory.