Three Filipino fishermen kidnapped off Malaysia's Sabah waters

Malaysian police have confirmed that the three crew members of a fishing trawler who were kidnapped in waters off Malaysia's Sabah on Saturday are Filipinos, according to a report from Bernama, Malaysia's state news agency.

A Sunday report from Bernama quoted Sabah police chief Abdul Rashid Harun as saying that the three Filipinos were taken by a group of seven heavily-armed men during a fishing trip with 13 other crew members on Saturday night.

"During the incident, the seven masked abductors, carrying pistols and high-powered M-16 rifles, approached the ship on a speed boat and went onboard," said the report, adding the crew members were ordered to lie on the floor when the gunmen ransacked the vessel, which is Malaysia registered.

It is yet to determine whether the gunmen are affiliated with the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist militant group based in the southern Philippines, which is notorious for kidnappings-for-ransom.

The incident came two days after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited Indonesia, during which the two countries vowed to tackle sea kidnappings jointly.

According to a report from the Star, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also weighed in on the incident, saying Malaysian authorities were facing several obstacles in preventing such cases, including a lack of equipment for the forces to carry out their duties. Endit