'Don't wait until their heads are sent back' plea

Kuala Lumpur: The families of two Malaysians kidnapped in Sandakan five months ago have begun an online petition to pile pressure on Putrajaya to expedite the process of securing the safe release of the hostages.This comes despite assurances from the Government to the desperate families of Thien Nyuk Fun, 51, and Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39, that it would do all it could to bring the Malaysians back safely home.

They said that despite Putrajaya's comforting words, no amount of sympathy would ever be enough or would it change history if their heads were sent back home.

This would be the first time that families of those kidnapped by Filipino gunmen are resorting to such a move but families of Thien and Then are growing more worried over their deteriorating health and other factors that have made the situation increasingly precarious.

Their families began the petition on Tuesday – 124 days after the incident, and so far, it has managed to secure almost 5,000 signatures.

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But it is still short of the 100,000 signatures targeted so that it could be handed over to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"We hope to achieve our target of 100,000 signatures for our petition to be handed to Najib with hopes that his personal intervention will expedite the process of securing the freedom of both hostages," they said in the petition appeal.

The families also clarified that they were not asking for any funds but that just a signature from caring Malaysians would help in their cause.

Last month, the frustrated families met with Home Ministry officials to plead the urgency of the safe release of their loved ones, after not receiving any updates from authorities for a long time.

Chan Wai See, who is is Then's wife, told both deputy home ministers that one of the two Malaysians was apparently next in line to be beheaded after weeks of unrest in Jolo, Philippines.

This is what was relayed to her in a phone conversation with her husband earlier.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed had said then that Putrajaya does not entertain ransom demands made by any groups and does not want to set a precedent in such cases, urging the kidnappers to release the victims on goodwill.

Both victims were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants at gunpoint on May 14, from a seafood restaurant belonging to Thien. They are now believed to be held on the remote southern Filipino island of Jolo by the gunmen.

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Then is pre-diabetic while Thien has high blood pressure. Their families have previously said that they needed their medication urgently.

Last month, Chan and Thien's son Chung Chin Lung told The Malaysian Insider that they feared that time was running out for their loved ones after Filipino forces attempted a rescue of hostages held by gunmen in the southern Philippines, killing 15 militants.

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