KOTA KINABALU: The three Malaysian and Indonesian fishermen kidnapped from the waters off Kinabatangan last December were recently seen guarded by Abu Sayyaf members and sub-leaders including one wanted by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), a Philippine terrorism analyst told Daily Express.
Chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, Professor Rommel Banlaoi, said the three were spotted in a village in Sulu.
“The remaining kidnap victims were seen encamped in Barangay (village) Bud Bawis, off Panamao town, Sulu,” Rommel told Daily Express, citing information from an intelligence officer in the Philippine Government.
“Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders Majan Sahidjuan @ Apo Mike and Ben Wagas, [as well as Abu Sayyaf members] Abdullah Sali and Sansibal were seen with the hostages.”
Apo Mike is one of 18 Filipinos on Esscom’s most wanted list for suspected transborder crimes. Ben Wagas, another Abu Sayyaf sub-leader, and Sansibal are aliases, said Rommel.
The fishermen — Heri Ardiansyah, 19, Jari Abdullah, and Hariadin, 45 — were kidnapped from their boat near the Pegasus Reef area on Dec 6, last year.
A few days later, one of the hostages called his wife and informed her they had been kidnapped and held at an undisclosed location in the southern Philippines.
Earlier, on Sept 11, last year, two Indonesian fishermen were kidnapped from their trawler in the waters off Semporna but one escaped in December while the other was released by the Abu Sayyaf and later rescued by Philippine security forces this month in Sulu.
Indonesia’s Consul-General in Sabah, Krishna Djaelani, said Indonesian authorities believe the two citizens are constantly being moved by their captors to avoid an all-out offensive by the Philippine forces.
“We believe they are constantly on the move with their captors because the Abu Sayyaf is now being subjected to an all-out offensive by the Philippine military as a result of the recent church twin bombing in Jolo,” Krishna told Daily Express.
Daily Express has alerted Krishna about the reported sighting of their citizens but the Indonesian authorities have not been able to confirm their location.
“The information Daily Express provided us had been channelled to the Indonesian Government but we still haven’t been able to confirm they were in the said location or their current location,” said Krisha.
“So far, no ransom demand has been made yet for the two Indonesian fishermen.”
A regional spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines could not confirm the information obtained by Daily Express or the current location of the three fishermen.
Daily Express also asked about how the safety of the three hostages is being considered during the heavy ground and artillery attacks by the Philippine defence forces to flush out the Abu Sayyaf faction said to be responsible for the church bombing.
“I don’t have the information you asked for,” Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Gerry Besana said.
Philippine officials said the faction is led by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, who also is believed to be the mastermind of the church attack.
Hatib is on Esscom’s wanted list and recently described by Philippine and American officials as the overall emir of Islamic State-aligned groups in the Philippines.
The September kidnapping broke an almost two-year lull in kidnappings in eastern Sabah, which shares maritime borders with the Philippines and Indonesia in the Sulu-Celebes Seas that used to be reported as one of the most dangerous piracy hotspots in the world.
The most notable kidnapping occurred in 2000 when the Abu Sayyaf snatched 21 people including western tourists from world-renowned diving island Sipadan.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=131191
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