Residents Of Aceh Tamiang Victims Of Drug Network Hostages In Malaysia Successfully Escape

Ismail Arif (33) from Aceh Tamiang, a victim of hostage-taking and torture by a network of drug syndicates in Malaysia/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - Ismail Arif (33) from Aceh Tamiang, a victim of hostage-taking and torture by a network of drug syndicates in Malaysia, was finally successfully repatriated to Aceh.

Ismail was sent home through Kuala Namu Airport, North Sumatra, Friday, October 4 and then immediately returned to Aceh Tamiang accompanied by the Liaison Staff of a member of the DPD RI from Aceh, H. Sudirman.

Teuku Ricky, Chairman of the Malaysian Aceh Perantau Association (PPAM) explained that the victim fled on Monday, September 23, after being held hostage for approximately a week in the Shah Alam area. After that the victim contacted the family in Aceh Tamiang.

Receiving this information, the victim's family then contacted a member of the DPD RI from Aceh, Sudirman. Furthermore, Sudirman coordinated with the PPAM team in an effort to protect victims in Malaysia.

After two days of survival at Shah Alam, the victim went through coordination with PPAM directed to the Chow Kit area, Kuala Lumpur and was accommodated at the house of a member of the PPAM team who also helped the victim's food needs for 10 days there.

PPAM also assisted in the management process for the return of victims to Aceh. Meanwhile, the cost of handling and repatriation of victims was obtained from the victim's family amounting to Rp3,700,000.

Arriving at the family's residence in Lubuk Batil Village, Bendahara District, the victim was greeted by the emotions of his family, relatives and a number of residents who had been waiting.

From the information from the victim's family, it was suspected that this drug syndicate network was controlled by an Acehnese with the initials Z who is currently in detention at Tanjung Gusta Prison, North Sumatra.

"We will immediately write to the National Police Headquarters and we hope to investigate this case further. Moreover, according to the family, it is suspected that one of the controllers of this drug network is currently being held at Tanjung Gusta Prison, North Sumatra", said Sudirman.

He hopes that the Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) can provide advocacy for the protection of victims' safety.

Ismail Arief (33), a worker from Aceh Tamiang, became a victim of a hostage-taking by a drug syndicate network in Malaysia. The victim was used as collateral in the process of drug transactions of methamphetamine by his compatriots.

At that time the victim was about to return to Aceh, but because the costs transferred by his family failed, the victim met his compatriot named Ridwan alias Bogam. Then the victim was advised to go home by barge going to East Aceh.

Unfortunately, instead of making it back to Aceh, the victim was instead used as collateral for drug transactions and was then held hostage by a drug network in Malaysia. To the victim's family, the capping party asked the Bogam and the man with the initials Z who are currently being held in prison to return their money so that the victim was released.