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Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia: Kidnapping warnings, Philippine groups involved

THIS IS AN OPINION PIECE BUT DOES OFFER SOME IMPORTANT INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION ON KIDNAPPINGS BY PHILIPPINE GROUPS
It is understandable that family members of a hostage would want to see their loved one released as quick as possible but paying the ransom only encourages the crime to flourish.

Last week, the whisper among the intelligence operatives in Sabah is that the asking price for the Taiwanese tourist kidnapped from Pom Pom island is 10 million ringgit (US$3.1 million).

When I heard that was the amount demanded for the release of 58-year-old Chang An Wei abducted at gunpoint after her 57-year-old husband Hsu Li Min was shot dead by Filipino gunmen in the exclusive island resort off Semporna town on November 15, I worried about the consequences of paying for her freedom. Read Article

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Bali Indonesia: Five tourists from China killed in bus crash

xinhuanet.com reported…….Now for an update on the deadly bus crash involving Chinese tourists on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Two days after the crash, a fifth Chinese tourist has died in hospital. This brings the total death toll to seven–five Chinese and their Indonesian driver and tour guide. Eight other Chinese were injured, now […]

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Malaysia: Gunmen kill Taiwanese tourist and kidnap his wife

According to bernama.com, a group of gunmen shot dead a Taiwanese tourist and kidnapped his wife in a resort island of Pom Pom near Semporna early Friday. The 57-year-old man was found dead in a pool of blood with gunshot wounds in a room at a resort on the island, said Sabah police commissioner Datuk […]

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Chinese tourist attempts suicide in Taiwan

Shanghaidaily.com reports that a Chinese mainland traveler was hospitalized after cutting himself outside the office of the Taiwanese leader, Taiwan police said on Tuesday. Chen Shaojun, who arrived in Taiwan with a tour group on Nov. 5, chopped himself on the head with a kitchen knife outside the Taiwan leader’s office on Tuesday afternoon, shouting, […]

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Malaysia: Many tourist hotspots have serious fire safety deficiencies

According to thestar.com.my, Kuala Lumpur has a lot to offer tourists but there is a gaping hole in the fire safety measures in many of its shopping complexes and tourists hotspots. Business operators in areas such as Jalan Masjid India, Petaling Street and Little India in Brickfields are paying scant regard to safety, especially in […]

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Laos plane crashes into Mekong River leaving 49 dead

The BBC reports that dozens of people were killed in southern Laos when a plane crashed into the Mekong River. Foreigners from some 10 countries including seven from France were among the dead, as well as Laotian nationals. The plane belonging to state-run Lao Airlines crashed in bad weather just before it was due to […]

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Malaysia: Non Muslims not permitted to use the word “Allah”

A Christian newspaper in Malaysia may not use the word “Allah” to refer to God, a court has ruled, in a landmark decision on a matter that has fanned religious tension and raised questions over minority rights. Monday’s unanimous decision by three Muslim judges in Malaysia’s appeals court overturned a 2009 ruling by a lower […]

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Malaysia: Parasailing accident kills Saudi tourist

According to nst.com.my, a 35-year-old Arab tourist was killed in a parasailing accident in Batu Ferringhi here on Wednesday evening. In the 5.30pm incident, Aldakhi- lallah Eman Mohamed from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, plunged into the sea as her jacket, which was fastened to the parasailing rope, was not worn properly. A police spokesman said Aldakhilallah […]

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Singapore: Tourists scammed by fake monks and nuns begging for money

According to straitstimes.com, fake monks and nuns have been targeting tourists for monetary donations at attractions such as the Merlion and the Singapore River. The Singapore Buddhist Federation, which issued a public advisory this morning, said it received about five complaints from members of the public over the past two weeks. “Tourists are easy targets […]

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Guam: Japanese tourist assaulted, robbed

pacificnewscenter.com reported that about 6pm Tuesday afternoon GPD received a complaint from a Japanese tourist who said he was robbed and assaulted by a hitcher who then stole his car, a silver Toyota Corolla. In a release this morning, Sgt.. Flickinger reported the tourist was at Nimitz Beach, sitting in his rental car, when a […]

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