| ALL 21 HOSTAGES
ACCOUNTED FOR, SAYS PANDIKAR KOTA KINABALU, May 5 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's
Department Datuk Pandikar Amin Mulia said on thursday that all the 21 hostages abducted
from Sipadan Island on April 23 had been accounted for, contrary to a report yesterday
that two had died.
He said the Philippine government's chief negotiator Prof Nur Misuari in his briefing in
Zamboanga told them that all the hostages were safe.
"Just immediately after the briefing, a note was passed to him (Misuari) saying that
the 21 have been accounted for and all alive, contrary to reports that two had died and
two had managed to escape," he said.
Pandikar, who is the prime minister's special envoy to monitor efforts to secure the
release of the captives, was speaking to reporters at the old terminal of the Kota
Kinabalu International Airport here during a brief stop-over from Zamboanga enroute to
Kuala Lumpur.
He hoped that family members of the hostages would be patient as the government was doing
all it could to find solution to the crisis.
Asked whether his mission was successful, he said: "I think it is. We have delivered
the stand of the nations and I am also told that as far as the Philippine government is
concerned, the stand is the same as ours, and that is for the hostages to be freed soon
and safely."
He also expressed confident Prof Nur Misuari's ability to handle the crisis which entered
its 12th day on thursday.
"...to use his own words, he said if he thinks that he cannot pull through this
negotiation, for any reason at all, he will not stake his reputation and accept that role
as the chief negotiator," said Pandikar.
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