RM12m went to Muslim Filipino charities: DPM
Published on: Friday, June 17, 2016
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reaffirmed that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the four Malaysians who were kidnapped in the southern Philippines recently."We did not pay any ransom and the funds raised (by the Malaysians' families) totaling RM12 million was given to agencies in the Philippines that upholds Islamic values and other legal activities conducted by them."There was no exchange of cash (to secure the Malaysians' release) because the Government has decided not to do so.
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"The agencies are not linked to militant or terrorist groups," he said after launching the Wakaf Al-Quran national level here. He stressed that the police had not kept the funds raised."No," he said when pressed further.He had also declined to elaborate on which agencies had been given.
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"I will get the police to issue a statement soon," he said. He was responding to press queries on the funds' usage that was raised by the Malaysians' families which is being discussed in the social media.Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the police did their best to rescue the four Malaysians.
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He said when the victims were kidnapped on April 1, the police's main priority was to reunite them with their families.Brothers Wong Teck Kang, 31, and Teck Chii, 29, their cousin, Johnny Lau, 21, and the fourth man, Wong Hung Sing, 34, were the crew on a tugboat returning to Sarawak from the Philippines on April 1 when they were waylaid and kidnapped by several gunmen near Pulau Ligitan, Sabah.The four were released on June 8.On a separate note, Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Home Minister, announced that the distribution of the Quran to countries where Muslims are minorities strengthens the faith among them.He also handed a cheque issued by the government worth RM3 million to Yayasan Restu for them to continue conducting research on studies related to the Quran.Meanwhile, in the Dewan Negara, Bernama quoted Ahmad Zahid as calling for the immediate gazetting of the parliament-approved Child (Amendment) Bill 2015, saying this was important to curb abuse and sexual exploitation of children in the country."The Home Ministry supports the efforts of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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