Osu thanks Philippine government for rescue of
Malaysian hostages
KOTA KINABALU (Bernama) --
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Osu Sukam on Wednesday thanked the Philippine government for
the rescue of three Malaysians held hostage by an armed group on Jolo island, southern
Philippines.
"We are thankful that the three Malaysians have been rescued at last," he said
when contacted here.
He said the Malaysian government was confident all along of the Philippine authorities'
ability to tackle the matter.
Philippine troops were reported to have rescued the three Malaysian hostages after a clash
with the gang of abductors in Jolo on Wednesday.
The safe rescue of the three Malaysians has been confirmed by the Malaysian Ambassador to
the Philippines Mohamad Arshad Hussain.
The three -- Pandanan Semporna Island Resort manager Mohamed Noh Sulaiman, 43, divemaster
Joseph Joe Ongkinoh, 40, and contractor Kan Wei Chong, 35, -- were kidnapped from Pandanan
island off Sabah on Sept 10 by an armed group and taken by boat to Jolo.
The abduction was the second such incident in Sabah waters after 21 people, nine of them
Malaysians, were kidnapped from the renown dive resort f Sipadan island on April 23.
The three were abducted days after all but one (a Filipino) of the 21 kidnapped had been
released in batches.
Nancy Nair, wife of divemaster Joseph Ongkinoh, was elated upon hearing news of the rescue
at 2pm. "I am thankful that my husband has been rescued," she said when met at
her house in Penampang.
Mohamed Noh's wife, N. Pakkialaksmi @ Siti, too was happy to hear of her husband's rescue.
Back to Sipadan/Pandanan Hostages News
Back
to This Week's Borneo News |
