Threat to behead Sandakan hostage
Published on: Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Putra Jaya: The government hopes the Abu Sayyaf will release two Malaysians held hostage in the Philippines on humanitarian grounds, said Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.The Deputy Home Minister said the government does not entertain ransom demands made by any groups and does not want to set a precedent in such cases. "We are asking the kidnappers to release the two hostages on humanitarian grounds because they are not well, " he told reporters after meeting the family members of the two hostages in Putrajaya on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Thien Nyuk Fun, 50, and Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39, were snatched from the Ocean King Seafood Restaurant in Sandakan on May 14 and taken to Jolo by gunmen who later demanded a ransom.Nur Jazlan said there was communication between the Malaysian police and their Filipino counterparts to determine the location of the hostages. "They are moving around. It is not easy to detect them," said Nur Jazlan. When asked why these kidnappings continued to happen, Nur Jazlan said the cases were less frequent now. ADVERTISEMENT "The government and the police force have improved the intelligence and cooperation with the Philippines to make sure that opportunities for kidnappers don't arise so easily anymore. "But with kidnappers, you don't know when they will strike," he added.
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Chan Wai See, the wife of kidnap victim Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39, told the Ministry that the beheadingthreat was conveyed to her in a phone conversation with her husband on Saturday evening.Chan and Chung Chin Lung, whose mother was also kidnapped met with Nur Jazlan for about 15 minutes before holding a press conference with them, assuring that Putrajaya will do all they can to bring the Malaysians back home safely.Also present was Thien's son, Chung Chin Lung.The kidnappers had earlier beheaded barangay (village) official, Rodolfo Boligao.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Last week the Filipino army launched an offensive against the militants in a bid to rescue 11 hostages, including the two Malaysians, from the hideouts, killing 15 members of the extremist group.Two Filipino coastguards who were held captive escaped during the gun battle.