The Foreign Ministry is urging Indonesian fishermen and ship crew members to avoid waters off the coast of Sabah state in the Malaysian part of Borneo, following the recent abduction of five fishermen by members of the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said Indonesian representatives in Kota Kinabalu and Tawau were urging Indonesian ship crew members not go to sea because of “unguaranteed security conditions in the waters off Sabah”.