This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on October 5, 2015.

SEMPORNA: Two men abducted in Sandakan — Thien Nyuk Fun and Bernard Then Ted Fen — are still alive, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said yesterday, following reports about their health and safety.

He said information from the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) indicated that the duo, kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants at gunpoint on May 14 from a seafood restaurant owned by Thien in Sandakan, were safe. He said the government was working hard to secure their release.

“We are trying to use all available channels, including cooperating with the Philippine authorities, to secure their release and I hope their families will put their trust in all the efforts being done,” he told reporters after a visit to six islands which fall under the Esscom command.

However, Nur Jazlan refused to reveal the latest development on the case, citing worries that it would jeopardise investigations and negotiation.

The families of the two victims have begun an online petition to pile pressure on Putrajaya to expedite the process of securing their release. The online petition is a first for families of those kidnapped by Filipino gunmen.

The families have expressed concerns about their deteriorating health and other factors which have made the situation precarious. Two months ago, the frustrated families met with Home Ministry officials to plead for help in securing the duo’s release.

Then’s wife, Chan Wai See, told both deputy home ministers that one of the two Malaysians was next in line to be beheaded after weeks of unrest in Jolo. This had been relayed to her in a phone conversation with her husband.

Yesterday, Nur Jazlan urged those living in the Esscom zone to act as “eyes and ears” to protect the areas from being encroached.

He said for now, the Esscom authorities believed that the kidnapping occurred with the help of locals.

“I am not accusing any parties, but if the community is more sensitive towards activities that could threaten security, especially those involving kidnapping, these must be reported immediately.”

He added that those living within the Esscom zone had to give their full loyalty to Sabah and Malaysia, despite close ties with southern Philippines. — The Malaysian Insider