No contact yet with kidnappers of three
Malaysians
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 (Bernama)
-- The Filipino gunmen who kidnapped three Malaysians from the resort island of Pandanan
in Sabah have not made any contact with the Malaysian Embassy in Manila or the Philippine
government.
An embassy spokesman, when contacted in Manila today, said there had been no word from the
kidnappers since the trio were snatched on Sunday.
"There is no contact yet, either with us or with the Philippine government or their
emissaries. We are monitoring the situation," he said.
He said the authorities there were not sure whether the group would ask for ransom for the
release of the three.
The Malaysians were abducted just a day after all but one of the 21 hostages taken from
Sipadan Island, also in Sabah, on April 23 were released.
Pandanan Semporna Island Resort manager Mohamad Noor Sulaiman, 43, dive master Joe Joseph
Jongkinoh, 40, and contractor Kan Wei Chong, 35, were kidnapped by a group of gunmen and
were believed to have been taken to Jolo, about 960km south of Manila.
Pandanan is not far from Sipadan Island where gunmen abducted 21 tourists and resort
workers and spirited them to Jolo by boat.
The spokesman said Malaysia's ambassador to Manila, Arshad Hussein, met Philippine foreign
ministry officials yesterday to convey Kuala Lumpur's hope that the hostages be freed fast
and unharmed.
"We are leaving it to them to decide the best way to (secure the) release (of) our
people. We hope there will be no military action but peaceful negotiation," he added.
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