| ARMED PIRATES TAKE HOSTAGES
ON SIPADAN ISLAND
TAWAU, April 24 (Bernama) --
Armed pirates took about 20 people, including foreign tourists, hostage on Sipadan island
off the Sabah coast last night, according to police here Monday.
Confirming this in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi said a special team had been set by the police to rescue the hostages who
were taken in boats by the pirates.
He said Malaysian police were in contact with their counterparts in Southern Philippines
in efforts to track down the pirates.
Sipadan island is a popular resort especially among scuba-divers. News of the attack
reached Tawau on Sabah's east coast at about 8pm last night, about an hour after the
pirates struck on the island.
According to police, most of the hostages were foreign tourists while the rest were local
workers on the island.
A Japanese Consulate official in Kota Kinabalu said he was told by police that the
tourists included Americans,French,Germans and South Africans and that no Japanese
tourists were involved.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Jamil Johari, when contacted in Kuala Lumpur,
said Inspector-General Tan Sri Norian Mai would hold a press conference at 4 pm today on
the hostage incident.
U.S. embassy press officer James Warren said in Kuala Lumpur the embassy knew about the
incident from sources this morning.
" We are still verifying the facts and are working closely with the police in
Sabah," he added.
Reuters meanwhile, quoted a diplomat as saying that two American tourists among the
hostages escaped by jumping overboard and might be safe.
According to The Star newspaper online edition, the pirates were armed with rocket
launchers and M16 rifles and besides tourists, the hostages included hotel staff and
wildlife rangers.
The international waters bordering Sabah, Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesia are
pirate-infested with several incidents reported in the last few years.
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