| FAMILIES OF TWO HOSTAGES PRAY FOR THEIR
RELEASE TAWAU,
April 25 (Bernama) -- In their moments of distress, the families of two people captured by
pirates from Sipadan island on Sunday night could only pray for their safe return.
"There is nothing much to say except that we are praying for his safety," said
Masnah Talib, 48, whose son Zulkarnain Hashim was among 20 people spirited away by six
heavily armed men.
Masnah said she last spoke to Zulkarnain last Friday when he asked her to send him food
through a travel agent going to the island.
Masnah said she cooked him "sambal ikan bilis" and sent the food as requested.
Zulkarnain, 29, from Tawau, has been working with the Wildlife Department for nine years.
Masnah described Zulkarnain, her only child, as a hardworking and religious person.
Zulkarnain's wife, Siti Hajar Zakaria, 26, was by her mother-in-law's side during the
interview but was relatively quiet because she was too distraught.
Nelen Jaikin, 35, said she was shocked and overcome with emotions when the Wildlife
Department headquarters in Kota Kinabalu informed her that her husband Francis Masungkim,
35, was among those taken hostage.
"They (department staff) advise me to have a lot of patience," said Nelen, who
has two children aged two and four.
Nelen said her husband last contacted her on Saturday.
She said Zulkarnain and Francis were supposed to be on a two-week shift on the resort
island but their stay was extended to a month on the instruction of the department's
headquarters.
She said they had to be there longer to guide two staff newly deployed on the island,
Basilius Jim and Balachandran Nair.
The two were also captured by the pirates who escaped with their hostages in two boats
into international waters.
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