2 Indonesian fishermen snatched off Sabah

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The military has alerted government troopers in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu over the reported kidnapping of two Indonesian fishermen in the waters off Sabah on Tuesday.

“We have alerted our forces at the border,” Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Com- mand, said yesterday.

Besana said they received reports on the kidnapping from their Malaysian counterparts.

Malaysian authorities said the kidnappers, who were on a speedboat, took the Indonesians from a fishing boat off Sempornah near the border of the Philippines. Two other fishermen managed to escape.

Besana said the Malaysian police could not confirm if the Abu Sayyaf was behind the kidnapping.

Besana said reports that the kidnappers were speaking in a Philippine dialect have yet to be verified, adding that it was unclear where the gunmen brought their captives.

The Abu Sayyaf has carried out kidnappings in the waters between Sabah and Mindanao.

Besana gave assurance that there is no letup in military operations to rescue the remaining hostages of the Abu Sayyaf.

The bandits are still holding a Dutch man, a Vietnamese, three Indonesians and five Filipinos. The Indonesians were taken in the waters off Merabong near Kunak district in Sabah in November 2016.