4 Malaysian seamen abducted off Sabah

From Channel News Asia (Apr 2): Four Malaysian crew members kidnapped by gunmen off Sabah coast

The four men, aged between 21 and 34, were held at gunpoint, forced to disembark and taken into Philippine waters.

KOTA KINABALU: Four Malaysian crew members were kidnapped by eight gunmen in a speedboat off the coast of Sabah on Friday evening (Apr 1).

The four men, aged between 21 and 34 from the neighbouring state of Sarawak, were on their way back after delivering logs to Manila in the Philippines when their barge was attacked by the gunmen.

They were held at gunpoint, forced to disembark and taken away into Philippine waters. The other crew members – two Indonesians and three Myanmar nationals – were released unharmed.

The incident reportedly happened near Pulau Ligitan off Semporna, off the south-eastern coast of Sabah.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said his ministry is trying to verify the information from various sources, and whether the gunmen were from militant group Abu Sayyaf.

"We do take it seriously. We want to address this and the government is taking steps to address this. We have a long coastal line, from time to time, we will see what we can do – at least for the safety of the people and tourists who come here," Mr Anifah said.

The minister said he is not at liberty to disclose any details, but stressed that this was an isolated incident and the waters around Sabah are still safe.

This incident follows another last year when Malaysian engineer Bernard Then was kidnapped in Sabah by Abu Sayyaf militants. He was beheaded on the southern Philippine island of Jolo after negotiations with the kidnappers fell through.

While there are Sabahans who are spooked by the latest incident, others are undeterred.
"Obviously it's very hard to control, I know that but I will still go back to Mabul and Sipadan to dive. (This) is not going to stop me," said international school teacher Sam Watson, who is in Malaysia for a holiday.

Last week, 10 Indonesian seamen were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants, who are demanding US$1 million for their release.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/four-malaysian-crew/2659378.html