JAKARTA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian foreign ministry has called on Philippine military and Abu Sayyaf group to establish a ceasefire in a bid to ensure the safety of Indonesians held hostage by the bandit group, an official said here Wednesday.
The call comes as one of the seven Indonesian hostages has escaped from the Abu Sayyaf group, which plots to behead him, in Sulu province of the Philippines.
"(Indonesian) foreign minister has communicated with her Filipino counterpart, asking for a ceasefire for the safety of the hostages," said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, director for protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad of the ministry.
"For Indonesia, the safety of the hostages is a priority," he said at the foreign ministry.
On Aug. 13, the Filipino military launched an offensive against the group in southern Philippines where the Indonesians are believed to be kept.
The director confirmed that the ministry has got a report that Mohammad Sayfan, 28, had escaped from the group in Luuk, southern Philippines.
Sayfan was abducted along with other sailors from a tugboat in waters bordering the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in June.
