KOTA KINABALU: Negotiators who were working to secure the release of Malaysian engineer Bernard Then (pic) were caught off guard when the Abu Sayyaf upped the ransom demand.
The initial agreement for the release of the 39-year-old Sarawakian, along with restaurant manager Thien Yoke Fun, 50, was 30mil pesos (RM2.7mil) but then shot up to 80mil pesos (RM7.4mil).
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