Military action should take into account
hostages' safety: Shafie
SEMPORNA, Sept 13 (Bernama) --
Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal said any military action by the Philippine
government against the kidnappers in Jolo island must take into account the safety of the
three Malaysian hostages.
" Our stand has not changed...we want them to ensure the safety of the hostages
especially those from Malaysia," he told reporters after visiting Pulau Pandanan,
near here, where the Malaysians were abducted by four armed men on Sunday night.
In the 7pm incident, Pandanan Semporna Island Resort manager Mohamad Noor Sulaiman bin
Abdullah, 43, dive master Joe Joseph Jongkinoh, 40, and a contractor Kan Wei Chong, 35,
were kidnapped by the men armed with M-16 rifles.
They are being held captive in Jolo Island, southern Philippines.
Shafie said the Malaysian government had always respected the actions taken by the
Philippine authorities in handling the kidnap drama.
"We can't dictate terms in their territory. They are free to do what is best in their
country to handle the hostage crisis," he said.
Philippine President Joseph Estrada warned yesterday that his government might take
military action against the armed group if they continued with the kidnappings.
Asked on the security in Semporna waters, Shafei, who is also MP for the area, said the
security forces had stepped up surveillance especially around the island resorts in Sabah.
However, it was not easy to provide round-the-clock protection due to the long and wide
coastline.
Hence, the cooperation of the islanders was crucial to prevent a recurrence of the
kidnappings.
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