KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — A tourist from China and a Filipino worker were abducted last night in a resort in Semporna, Sabah, according to media reports.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), a group of armed men stormed the Singamata Reef Resort near the coastal town.
The resort’s manager, who only wanted to be known as Vicky, said around five to six men attacked the hotel at around 10.30pm last night and left with the victims by boat.
The two who were abducted are Gao Huayun, a female Chinese national from the city of Shanghai in her twenties, while the Filipino was a female staff member of the resort, SCMP said on its website.
Citing Vicky, the newspaper said all 61 hotel guests left the resort this morning, but that ten tourists who arrived today have decided to stay.
Fifty-nine of the 61 guests were from China.
National news agency Bernama reported today that Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) — which was formed to beef up security on Sabah’s east coast — has confirmed the incident.
Singamata Reef Resort could not be contacted for comment.
Similar cases have affected the area; in November last year one tourist was shot dead and another abducted from Pom-Pom Island Resort and Spa.
Hsu Li Min, a 57-year-old tourist from Taiwan, was shot dead by armed men while his 58-year-old wife Chang An Wei was abducted and later rescued by the Philippines authorities on December 20.
