Abu Sayyaf taken captives to jungle

28-year-old Gao Huayun

MANILA - Muslim militants have brought a Chinese tourist and a Filipino hotel receptionist to their jungle stronghold in the southern Philippines after kidnapping the women from a dive resort in eastern Malaysia early this month, security officials said yesterday.

The Philippine officials said that based on numerous intelligence reports and accounts from villagers, the women were now being held by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu, where the extremists have been holding several foreign and Filipino hostages for ransom.

The three officials spoke to The Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters about the abductions.

Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped the 28-year-old Shanghai woman Gao Huayun and 40-year-old Filipino Marcelita Dayawan from the Singamata Reef Resort in the Malaysian state of Sabah on April 2, then took them by motor boat to the southern Philippines.

Sabah, which has many tourist resorts, is just a short boat ride from the Philippines, where many militants and kidnap gangs operate.

Philippine military officials initially reported that the kidnappers and their captives may have been taken to Simunul island in the southernmost province of Tawi Tawi.

But a search in the remote region yielded nothing.

Philippines Marine spokesman Capt. Ryan Lacuesta said a new search was underway by government forces in Sulu, about 950 kilometers south of Manila, but refused to divulge other details.

Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid said two weeks ago that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of 500 million pesos (RM36.4 million) for the release of a Chinese tourist. No ransom was asked for the Filipino woman, he said.

Malaysian police have been coordinating with their Philippine counterparts to deal with the kidnapping, the latest the Abu Sayyaf has staged in Malaysia.

FMT