KOTA KINABALU, Aug 5 – Kidnappers holding a Malaysian restaurant manager and a customer hostage in southern Philippines have agreed to give a discount of more than 50 per cent to their initial RM60 million ransom demand, Sabah police said.
State police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said that the initial asking price was RM30 million each for each hostage, which he said was too high for anyone to pay.
“After negotiating, they eventually reduced it by more than 50 per cent,” he said.
On May 14 this year, four armed gunmen stormed popular Ocean King seafood restaurant in Sandakan during peak dinner hours and abducted manager Thien Nyuk Fun, 50 and customer Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39.
Jalaluddin, who was speaking to reporters after the state police headquarters’ Hari Raya open house stopped short of revealing, however, whether the ransom would be paid, saying the authorities are still trying to negotiate for a release on “humanitarian grounds”.
“We hope they will be considerate of their victims because they cannot afford to pay the ransom. It is inhumane to kidnap victims and keep them for ransom. We are appealing to them on a goodwill basis,” he said.
Thien has been reported to be suffering from diabetes, although Jalaluddin said her medical needs were being taken care of.
The two hostages are kept in captivity in the interior of southern Philippines, and authorities are monitoring their movements as well as communications with the victims and their families.
