Federal Government Will Try Secure Release Of Two Abducted Malaysians

KOTA KINABALU, July 18 (Bernama) -- The federal government will try and secure the release of two Malaysian seaweed farm workers who were abducted near Pulau Sebangkat in Sabah's east coast Semporna district, about six months ago.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the duo were in the custody of an outlawed group.

"There is nothing much the Philippine Government can do...we have to try and extricate them out by other means. There are somewhat constraints by the fact that this group is very much taking up arms," he told told reporters after attending a luncheon with the Sabah Chinese community leaders here Sunday.

Najib was asked to comment on steps taken by the federal government in collaboration with the Philippines, to free company manager Tsen Vui Chung, 41, and supervisor Lai Wing Chau, 33.

The duo worked for seaweed farming company Syarikat Dynasty Marine Farm.

On Feb 8, five people armed with rifles, pistol and machete, arrived in two boats and abducted Tsen and Lai.

The abductions occurred days after the United States Embassy in Malaysia issued a warden's alert to travellers and its citizens of heightened dangers to their safety on the east coast of Sabah.