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