[NEW UPDATES] The Pulau Pom-Pom Resort Murder-Abduction Case

A Taiwanese tourist abducted from Pom Pom island off Sabah’s east coast 36 days ago has been found safe and sound in the southern Philippine island of Jolo.

The 58-year-old female Taiwanese tourist who was kidnapped from Pom Pom island in Sabah last month has been rescued by Philippines’ elite police force in Sulu island.

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Chang An Wei (pic), 58, was found alone in an area between the villages of Maimbung and Indanan at 4.30pm yesterday in a joint operation by the Philippine military, police and local government officials.

Philippines Armed Forces task force Sulu chief Brig Gen Jose Joriel Cenabre said a tip-off enabled the team to locate Chang in a forested area.

Her captors let her go, he said, adding that Chang was exhausted but was otherwise physically unharmed.

Chang was found by Philippine marines at a village near Talipao, a town on the remote Philippine island of Jolo where Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants are known to operate, and was taken to a local military hospital for a medical check-up on Friday.

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The woman was taken to a military hospital for a medical check-up in the town of Jolo, the capital of Jolo island, about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Manila, Cenabre added.

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A ransom of US$300,000 (RM1mil) is believed to have been paid to secure the release of Taiwanese hostage Evelyn Chang An-wei held by Abu Sayaff gunmen in the notorious southern Philippines
island of Jolo.

Though officials in Philippines and Taiwan have maintained that the 58-year-old An-wei, who was snatched by Filipino gunmen from Pom Pom island in Semporna on Nov 15, was rescued, the ransom amount was
widely speculated in the Taiwanese media.

An-wei’s elder brother Richard Chang Ta Kong did not dispute the media reports when he said that his sister was not abused during her captivity and that the kidnappers were only after money.

Ta Kong, who was communicating with the kidnappers during her 36-days of captivity, did not speak directly about the alleged ransom payment made by the family to the kidnapper to secure her release.

Brig Gen Cenabre said Chang initially appeared to be stoic after her rescue and did not say much until she was sent to the hospital at the AFP’s Camp Bautista in Jolo island for a medical check up.

“When we arrived at the hospital and as I was trying to talk to her with our doctors and nurses nearby, she suddenly broke into tears and said ‘thank you’ several times,” he said.

“I think I just want to say I deeply appreciate the Philippine military for giving me such a big help and assistance to rescue me. Thank you very much,” Chang said in English in a pre-recorded message aired by several Taiwanese news channels on Saturday.

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“I think she finally realised that her ordeal had really ended,” Brig Gen Cenabre said, adding that Chang was also given a change of clothes at the hospital.

The police have arrested two men believed to be linked to the kidnapping of a Taiwanese woman and the murder of a man, believed to be her husband, in Pom Pom Island, Semporna last month.

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The two men, aged 30 and 31 were arrested in an unnumbered house in Kampung Bangau-Bangau of Semporna at about 3am on Monday.

“We believe the two men who do not have any identification documents were also involved in other cases, as well,” the Sabah Police Commissioner said, adding that the suspects were working in the island area at Semporna.

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The duo have been remanded for two weeks to facilitate investigations.

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Police have identified suspects involved in the kidnapping of a Taiwanese tourist at a resort in Pom Pom Island off Semporna.

These informers are believed to have given inside information that led the kidnappers to the resort on Nov 15, when they killed 57-year-old Taiwanese tourist Hsu Li Min before abducting his 58-year-old wife Chang An Wei.

Inspector-General of Police Kha-lid Abu Bakar said the identities of the informers were known, but police still needed to verify them before taking the action.

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If the negotiations drag on, Chang's captors will do everything to keep her alive as they will not want a dead commodity. She will be moved from one jungle hideout to another hideout and from islands to islands if a military pursuit occurs.

Taiwan has received a demand for ransom in connection with the abduction of the Taiwanese woman from a resort island off Sabah last week, Taiwan's Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan revealed.

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"We knew about it for some time. You should ask the Criminal Investigations Bureau about the details," Taiwan's Minister of the Interior said.

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In Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier said that based on the bullet shells left at the scene and other evidence, Malaysian police suspect that the shooting and abduction were carried out by Filipino terrorists.

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When asked whether the phone call was from the abductors to the victims' families, he said he was not sure. "But, the Philippines side discussed the ransom," he said.

Relatives of kidnapped Taiwanese tourist Chang An Wei are keeping mum over an alleged ransom demand made to Filipino authorities after her abduction by Filipino gunmen from the Pom Pom Island resort in Sabah.

Richard Chang, brother of the abducted 58-year-old Chang An Wei, was in tears after seeing the body of his brother-in-law, 57-year-old Hsu at the Tawau mortuary yesterday.

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A post-mortem on a Taiwanese national who was shot dead by a group of armed men who also abducted his wife on Pulau Pom Pom, Semporna last Friday will be carried out at the Tawau Hospital.

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Post mortem is expected to be carried out at the mortuary here before the body is released for funeral arrangements.

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Police have claimed that kidnapped tourist Chang An Wei was not the sole target of her abductors because of her links to Taiwan’s First Lady.

She could also have been a target because she and her husband were wealthy, having gone into semi-retirement after selling off their garment factory to travel around the world.

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Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said yesterday that news reports making such implications were not true, adding that they are working with Taiwanese police and keeping each other updated on the case.

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Federal Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Salleh Mat Rashid said an integrated operation would be carried out soon to arrest those believed assisting the group of gunmen.

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"We are looking into this and in cases like this there will always be local involvement," he told reporters at a press conference at the State police headquarters in Kepayan here, today.

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Police are looking at the possibility that the gunmen who shot dead a foreign tourist and kidnapped his partner on Pulau Pom Pom had inside help.

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Police believe there could be local involvement in the murder-cum-kidnapping of Taiwanese couple.

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Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan today said that there is “little impact” suffered by the country’s economy and tourism due to the kidnap and murder case of Taiwanese tourists on Pom Pom island off Semporna in Sabah.

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“We have Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia for people to visit. Kuala Lumpur and Pom Pom are far from each other and Kuala Lumpur is not affected," Ahmad Maslan said in Parliament today

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When we asked a tour agent with the resort why it was still open, the man, who was waiting for guests to arrive, shrugged it off. "There are killings happening every day in Kuala Lumpur. Do people stop going there?" he asked.

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Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said the state's security was under control with sufficient security personnel capacity.

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According to Hamza, police believed the abducted Taiwanese woman was still alive and investigations were continuing. He also dismissed press reports that the couple were married. He said a post mortem on the man's remains would be carried out by the PDRM's forensic department on Nov 20.

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"We have solid backup from the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Marine Police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Royal Malaysian Navy, Joint Forces Command 2 and Royal Malaysian Air Force."

State Police Commissioner Datuk Wira Haji Hamza Taib said Sabah’s crime index dropped during the first ten months this year, with 4,838 cases recorded compared to 5,084 cases during the same period in 2012.

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Hamza added that the results enabled the Sabah police contingent to achieve their Key Performance Indicators as set by the National Key Result Areas.

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The index showed a drop of 246 cases or 4.84 per cent, he said, adding that from January to October this year the police solved 2,229 cases (46.07%) compared to 2,497 (49.11 %) during the same period in 2012, which represented a drop of 3.04 per cent.

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Whilere there is still no word on the Chinese national who was abducted off Semporna in Sabah early yesterday morning, police believed she has already been smuggled into southern Philippines.

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Terrorists from Islamist militant groups Al-Qaeda and Abu Sayyaf are believed to be involved in the murder and abduction of a Taiwanese tourist and his wife in Sabah yesterday, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has said.

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The national police chief reportedly confirmed this today, according to Bernama’s newswire, and added an assurance that the police and armed forces will enhance security measures in Semporna, where the incident occurred, and all of eastern Sabah.

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He added, however, that the incident would not affect the country’s tourism activities, a concern that has been raised numerous times due to the crime spate that has appeared to continue unabated.

The 57-year-old tourist identified as Lim Min Hsu was found with two gunshot wounds along the corridor of the water village resort at about 1am Friday.

His wife, 58-year-old An Wei Chang, could not be found after Lim’s body was discovered, leading police to suspect she has been kidnapped.

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A tourist was shot dead and his wife kidnapped at a resort in Pulau Pom-Pom off Semporna in the east coast of Sabah this morning.

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A tourist is believed to have been shot dead while another was reportedly kidnapped from Pulau Pom Pom off Semporna in the east coast of Sabah early Friday.

The couple were among guests at the resort located about 30km off Semporna.

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The couple arrived at the resort on Tuesday and were scheduled to leave the island on Nov 20.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed this when contacted. A manhunt has been launched by the police to locate the suspects and their hostage.

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"A woman, believed to be his wife was kidnapped by a group of unknown men.

"We are still investigating the matter,” he said during a working visit to Johor police contingent headquarters, today.

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