THE STAR
Gunmen kidnap four Malaysian crewmen off Sabah east coast
KOTA KINABALU: Four crewmen of a Malaysian boat have been kidnapped by armed Filipino gunmen near Pulau Ligitan off Semporna in the east coast of Sabah on Friday night.
Initial reports stated that eight Filipino gunmen in a speedboat jumped on board the Malaysian registered vessel, MV MASFIVE 6, which was sailing near Pulau Ligitan and held them at gunpoint before forcing them to disembark.
The speedboat with the four Malaysian hostages and the gunmen were seen speeding towards Filipino waters.
The other foreign crew members - three Myanmar and two Indonesians - were left unharmed.
According to initial reports, the four have been identified as Wong Teck Pang, 31, Wong Hung Song, 34, Wong Teck Chi, 29, and Johnny Lau Jung Hien, 21, although police have yet to confirm the identities. They are from Sarawak.
According to initial reports, the four have been identified as Wong Teck Pang, 31, Wong Hung Song, 34, Wong Teck Chi, 29, and Johnny Lau Jung Hien, 21, although police have yet to confirm the identities. They are from Sarawak.
The foreign crew is believed to have later sailed the ship back to Tawau.
The ship with a crew of nine was returning to Tawau after sending a shipment of logs to Manila when the group of Filipinos struck at about 7pm as it was sailing near Pulau Ligitan.
It is not known if the gunmen were linked to the notorious Abu Sayyaf which has demanded ransom of US$1mil for the release of a group of Indonesian crewmen kidnapped on Monday.
The 10 Indonesian crewmen from a Taiwanese tugboat were kidnapped as their vessel was sailing close to the Malaysian waters off Sabah.
Indonesia has placed on standby an elite force to rescue the 10 hostages who are held by the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo in southern Philippines.
THE STAR
Police confirm kidnap of four Malaysians in Sabah
MIRI: Police confirmed that four Malaysians were kidnapped by eight armed men in the waters of Semporna, Sabah while returning to Malaysia from the Philippines on Friday night.
Miri police chief ACP Junaidi Bujang said in the 7pm incident, the four men, aged between 21 and 34, were working onboard the ship registered as MV MASFIVE 6 which had transported timber from Malaysia to Manila in the Philippines.
"The incident occurred near Pulau Ligitan, Semporna and the ship did not carry any cargo at the time of the incident," he told Bernama.
ACP Junaidi said all four men were from Sibu and the identities of the abductors were still unknown.
The victims were taken away in a speed boat and so far their fate is still not known.
ACP Junaidi said the names of the abducted victims could not be disclosed at the moment to avoid panic among their family members.
"A police report has been lodged by the administrative manager of the shipping company at the Miri central police station last night," he said.
He said the 35-year-old administration manager, who is based here, lodged a police report after receiving a phone call from a colleague in Sabah informing about the abduction.
"A copy of the police report was faxed to the operations room of the Sabah police contingent headquarters to follow up there," he said. - Bernama
