- ZAMBOANGA CITY: Philippine authorities on Wednesday were verifying reports that two Malaysians abducted from a seaweed farm in Sabah had been taken either to Tawi-Tawi or Sulu provinces, officials said.
- Gunmen also kidnapped two Filipino construction workers of a US-funded road project in Sulu on Monday.
Officials said security forces have been alerted about the reports and that soldiers were told to stay on alert. "We are still verifying that reports. We have alerted our troops in the southern Philippines," said First Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.
Malaysian authorities said that Chen Yui Chung, 48, and Lai Wong Chung, 46, were seized by five masked gunmen on Monday from the island of Sebangkat, off the town of Semporma, and were believed spirited to Tawi-Tawi or Sulu province, where Abu Sayyaf militants are actively operating.