Indonesia calls out Malaysia for 'ineffective' security following fresh kidnappings

Heri Ardiansyah, 18, a former hostage of the notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit group from the Philippines, is seen clasping the hand of a family member at his handover ceremony at the Foreign Ministry compound in Jakarta, on April 11, 2019. Heri was one of the 44 Indonesian sailors who were abducted by the Abu Sayyaf group and was safely repatriated. (JP/Seto Wardhana)

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): The government has lambasted the "ineffective coordination" of Malaysian authorities following the abduction of five Indonesian fishermen last week in waters off Sabah, the latest incident to underscore the lack of security in the tri-border area between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Six members from a faction of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group abducted on Thursday five Indonesian fishermen from their trawler in Sabah's easternmost waters off Lahad Datu, about 10 minutes from the Tawi-Tawi chain of islands in the southern Philippines.