Hostages are home – tired but happy

Painful ordeal: A file photo of UPP president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh (left) consoling family members of one of the hostages.

KOTA KINABALU: Looking gaunt and exhausted but with smiles on their faces, four Malaysian sailors returned home safely after 69 days in the hands of the notorious Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the mountainous jungles of Jolo.

The four Sarawakians, whose release came late on Tuesday evening, were unhurt as they made their way back to Sandakan.

Brothers Wong Teck Kang, 31, and Wong Teck Chii, 29, along with their cousins Johnny Lau Jung Hien, 21, and Wong Hung Sing, 34 were met by family members who had been in Sandakan waiting for their release for about a week.

Tears of joy flowed when the four sailors hugged their family members from Sibu and Miri as they met privately at a hotel in Sandakan as police shielded them from the public.

Police also debriefed the four, who are expected to be flown back to Sarawak today where they will be reunited with other family members.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim confirmed the release and said the four were back in Malaysia and in stable condition.

He said police would speak to them once they recovered from their ordeal.

Filipino officials said they could not ascertain if any ransom was paid although earlier reports said that the gunmen had demanded 300 million pesos (about RM30mil) for the release of their Malaysian captives.

However, they said the captors had dropped their price to 250 million pesos (RM25mil) and later to 180 million pesos (RM18mil).

“We are not sure what the final figure was,” an official in Jolo said, adding that they usually referred to such payments as board and lodging.

Philippines military Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) spokesman Major Filemon Tan Jr said they were gathering more information as to how the release of the four men came about.

“We would like to know exactly where and when the Abu Sayyaf released their Malaysian captives,” he said.

Sulu Provincial Police director Senior Superintendent Wilfredo Cayat also confirmed the release of the victims but said the police Anti-Kidnapping Group had more details on the release.