The families of two Malaysians kidnapped in Sandakan four months ago fear that time is running out for their loved ones after Filipino forces attempted a rescue of hostages held by gunmen in the southern Philippines, killing 15 militants.
Chan Wai See (left), wife of Bernard Then Ten Fen, and Chung Chin Lung, son of Thien Nyuk Fun, are now worried of the kidnapped pair's safety. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, August 22, 2015.
The desperate families are turning to the Home Ministry, and hope for an appointment with minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to secure the immediate release of Thien Nyuk Fun, 51, and Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39.
Both victims were snatched from a seafood restaurant belonging to Thien at gunpoint on May 14, and are now believed to be held on the remote southern Filipino island of Jolo by the Abu Sayyaf militants.
"The situation in Jolo is volatile currently and we have heard the news of the beheading of a Filipino village chief last week and that Filipino security forces are moving in on their hideouts," Bernard's wife Chan Wai See told The Malaysian Insider.
"And the latest update we have received from the police is that the health of my husband and Madam Thien were getting worse. That has increased our worry."
Bernard is pre-diabetic while Thien has high blood pressure. Their families have previously said that they needed their medication urgently.
AFP reported last week that a Filipino barangay (village) official, Rodolfo Boligao, who had been held hostage by militants since May, was found beheaded on a highway on Jolo island.
He had been captured in May by Abu Sayyaf, the al-Qaeda-linked group in the southern Philippines that has gained notoriety for bombings and kidnapping sprees.
Boligao's handcuffed remains were found with his severed head placed by his side and a piece of paper with his name written on it on top of his body.
The photographs of kidnap victims Thien Nyuk Fun and Bernard Then Ted Fen held by Chung Chin Lung (left) and Chan Wai See. The duo's abduction is one of many incidents in the east coast of Sabah in the last few years. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, August 22, 2015.
The Filipino army this week 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 hostages - Filipino coastguards - escaped during the gun battle.
Chan, who was with her husband at the restaurant when he was kidnapped, said she was struck with anxiety upon hearing the army's rescue attempt in Jolo, and prayed that her husband and Thien were not one of those killed.
She and Thien's eldest son Chung Chin Lung are concerned that the offensive would not bode well for the safe release of their family members, and are pushing Putrajaya to speed up the process.
"We know the government and the police are doing all they can. But it is now over a 100 days since they were kidnapped and we hope that things will go faster and because of what happened recently, there is an urgency to get them back as quick as we can," the distraught Chan said.
The family, who are from Kuching, are hoping that Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem would also hear them out.
Restaurant still closed
Chung said the families last spoke to the militants, who had called to seek ransom for their release, in the third week of June.
Police, they said, have since asked them to switch off their phones to allow authorities to negotiate with the extremists themselves.
"We have been receiving updates from police about their conditions. And yet, we feel so helpless and with every passing day, it is getting harder for the family. The ordeal has taken a toll on us as we have no information about what is happening.
"But our trust is still with the police, who we believe are doing all they can to bring them back. But we want them to understand the urgency of the matter, given all that has happened since more than a week ago," he added.
Chung said the family's seafood restaurant has been shut since the incident as people were afraid to frequent the area, located only 2.5km from Sandakan town.
"My grandmother (Thien's mother) is also very worried and keeps asking us for updates but we have none to give her," Chung said.
The kidnappings of Bernard and Thien are one episode in a long list of similar incidents in the east coast of Sabah in the last few years.
In November 2013, a Taiwanese man was killed and his wife abducted.
Last year, a police officer was killed and another was kidnapped in a resort off Semporna.
In April last year, a Chinese tourist and Filipino resort worker were kidnapped from a Semporna resort.
Later in June, a Malaysian fish breeder and a Filipino employee were abducted at their fish farm.
In all those incidents, the victims were eventually rescued.
"Looking at these past incidents and the fact that the hostages were eventually rescued, we are hopeful for their (Then and Thien) safe release but we are hoping that it will be done sooner rather than later," Chan added.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/families-of-sandakan-kidnap-victims-more-fearful-after-rescue-attempt-sours
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