Two weeks to beheading deadline

From the Free Malaysia Today (Nov 13): Two weeks to beheading deadline

Little hope of freeing fish farmer manager and police constable if their kidnappers are not paid RM3 million each for their release.

KOTA KINABALU: Abu Sayyaf gunmen, buoyed by RM 18 million in ransom monies which they received recently for the release of a kidnapped German, are reportedly threatening to behead a fish farm manager from Kunak, Chan Sai Chiun, 32, if they are not paid RM 3 million for his ransom within the next three weeks.

[Video: Wife sobs as gunmen threaten to behead husband
http://vimeo.com/111708313]

They have sworn to send his head back to Kunak.

The gunmen, generally cross border criminals, also kidnapped marine policeman Kons Zakiah Aleip, 26, from Pulau Mabul on July 12.

Chan’s wife Chin Pek Nyuen, 42, is at her wit’s end since she has only been able to raise RM 140,000 so far to help free her husband, who has been in captivity since 16 June, 2014.

In a statement issued after turning up at Parliament on Thurs, Chin said that she was appealing to the 222 MPs to help secure her husband’s release.

She said that she was promised by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Shahidan Kassim, that the Federal Government which is responsible for security in Sabah is doing all it can to help free Chan.

“That was a week ago when there was a three week deadline to pay up the ransom,” said Chin. “The gunmen keep calling me.”

Chin wants the Federal Government to pay the kidnappers the RM 3 million they are demanding. Apparently, it was the gunmen who advised her to ask the Malaysian Government to pay the ransom monies.

Sharifah Erna Berson, 23, the wife of Kons Zakiah, has had no contact with the kidnappers, according to her.

The kidnappers are also demanding RM3 million for his release and have threatened to behead him by the end of this month if it was not paid. The kidnappers reportedly told the police to pay the ransom money.

The MPs whom Chin met at Parliament House hope the matter will be raised during the Federal Cabinet meeting tomorrow. They are perplexed the gunmen cannot be traced through the phone calls they make on a regular basis to Chin. One call apparently came just as the victim’s wife was speaking to some MPs.

Some of the MPs with Chin felt that the Federal Government should pay the RM 6 million demanded and bring the two men home. They said the Government seems to have billions to waste elsewhere.

This is easier said than done.

Putrajaya has since taken a decision not to pay ransom monies for anyone kidnapped in Sabah by gunmen from the Philippines.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/11/13/two-weeks-to-beheading-deadline/