It was a tormenting experience for Malaysian seaweed farm manager Tsen Vui Chung, 42, and his cousin Lai Wing Chau, 33, who were held hostage by Filipino gunmen on Tawi-Tawi island in southern Philippines for 10 months.
“We run and run every day, day and night,” said Lai who was kidnapped at gunpoint together with Tsen from the seaweed platform in Pulau Sebangkat off Semporna in the east coast of Sabah on Feb 8.
“The kidnappers, sometimes numbering eight, other times 10, looked to a man named ‘Ahmad’ as their leader,” said Lai, who is a bachelor while Tsen is married with two children aged 11 and 15.
Talking about their 317-day ordeal, they told the Philippines media at the Malaysian Embassy in Manila after they were flown from Tawi-Tawi upon their release on Wednesday that they did not feel any real threat to their lives although it was quite unnerving moving from hideout to hideout at regular intervals.
Most of the gunmen spoke Tausug but a few of the abductors also spoke Malay, said Lai.
“They only gave us the name of their leader. Everybody calls him Ahmad. They did not disclose anything else,” Lai said.
He added that they just followed the bandits everywhere they went, without question. However, he said they could not recall seeing their abductors firing any shots nor did they see their guns.
“I don’t know where they put them (the guns),” said Lai, who went on to say that the kidnappers never assaulted them.
“They treated us very well,” he told the press conference in the presence of Malaysian Ambassador Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad.
“We always believed that we would be rescued, although at times I felt despair when I thought of my family,” said Lai, who lives with his parents and an elder sister in Sandakan.
Lai said that neither he nor Tsen heard their captors talking about any ransom or demands.
He also did not know if there were any negotiations that took place between the bandits and the government. He could not say for sure if the kidnappers were Filipinos but he believed they were not Malaysians.
On how they gained their freedom, Lai said the bandits just walked away and left them.
“We were at a beach. We saw a boat and there was a signal to come over. They picked us up,” Lai said.
Asked what Lai, a supervisor, and Tsen, a manager of the seaweed farm under Dynasty Marine Farm in Pulau Sebankat, intended to do on their return to Sabah, they said they wanted to be with their families.
“I missed home-cooked meals during the 10 months,” said Lai, adding that the meagre dinners given by the captors were usually fish.
“Once in a while, we also got beef or chicken. No problem. Food was good. Everything was good. Now, it’s better. We are free, everyone is safe now. Thank God.”
Both Lai and Tsen, who thanked all the authorities involved in securing their release, said they just wanted to get back home and spend time with their loved ones.
“I have already talked to my family over the phone. And I mentioned that I would be going back to my hometown (Sandakan) to join them on Friday,” said Lai, who jokingly told the media that he wanted to return to the Philippines to explore the islands.
“I would love to come back to the Philippines and explore its islands. I feel fresh in the Philippines.”
Thanking the Philippines government and the police for their assistance, Ibrahim said the two were in good health and would be flown to Sabah today to be reunited with their families.
