| MALAYSIA
MONITORS NEGOTIATIONS TO SECURE RELEASE OF 21 CAPTIVES KOTA TINGGI, April 28 (Bernama) --
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said today Malaysia is monitoring the
negotiations between Philippine government representatives and the Abu Sayyaf separatist
group over the release of 21 people abducted from Sipadan Island by armed gunmen last
Sunday.
"We have been informed that all the captives are safe and well," he told
reporters after the presentation of bursaries by the Welfare Association of Wives of
Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti) at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Mas, near here.
Syed Hamid said he believed that Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Nur
Misuari had his own way of securing the release of all the captives comprising 10
Malaysians, three Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans and a Filipino and a
Lebanese.
Philippine President Joseph Estrada had given Misuari the mandate to negotiate for the
safe release of the captives.
Syed Hamid said there was no fresh development on the incident.
He dismissed as speculation reports that the Malaysian hostages had been released.
At the function, Syed Hamid's wife, Datin Seri Sharifah Azizah Syed Zainal Abidin
presented bakti's contribution for the Kota Tinggi parliamentary constituency totalling
RM6,300 to nine students of the school.
Back to Sipadan Hostages News
Back
to This Week's Borneo News |
