ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) has confirmed that the five Indonesian fishermen seized on January 16 off Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia, were taken to the province of Sulu.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Westmincom chief, said Wednesday two of the six gunmen involved in the kidnapping, who turned out to be Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, have been killed in an airstrike off Sulare Island, Parang, Sulu.
Sobejana identified the two slain ASG bandits as a certain Ka Bong, the navigator; and a certain Melvie, the ransom negotiator.
The two were killed in an airstrike Saturday (January 18) that was launched after the troops sighted a twin-engine speedboat docking in Sulare Island, Parang municipality, Sobejana said.
He said the airstrike also destroyed the speedboat the ASG bandits used when they seized the five Indonesian fishermen near Tambisan Island, Lahad Datu, Sabah.
The five were identified as Arsyad Dahlan, 41, the skipper; La Baa, 32; Riswanto Hayano, 27; Edi Lawalopo, 53; and Syarizal Kastamiran, 29. They are employees of a Malaysian-owned fishing firm.
“Initially, they abducted eight, but the three were immediately released and they were the ones who reported to the incident to their superior, who in turn reported to Malaysian authorities,” he said.
The six ASG bandits, who staged the abduction, forced the five Indonesian fishermen onto their twin-engine speedboat and sped off leaving behind the other three on a tugboat.
Sobejana said they immediately deployed forces to prevent the entry of the ASG bandits to the territorial waters of the Philippines upon coordination by their Malaysian counterpart.
However, he said the incident happened at 3 p.m. but they received the communication from Malaysian authorities at 6 p.m.
“There was a three-hour gap. In those three hours, they were able to slip through (the Philippine territory) bringing the kidnap victims,” he said.
Sobejana said they have cordoned Sulare Island and “are assessing whether the five Indonesian kidnap victims are there or were taken to the mainland.”
“We are carefully assessing the situation. We are concerned of their safety because we wanted to rescue them without being harmed,” he said, citing the previous rescue of three Indonesian kidnap victims. (PNA)
