Massive operation carried out to hunt for abductors in Malaysia

Chinese tourist abducted in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR -- A massive operation has been carried out to hunt for a group of armed men who abducted a Chinese tourist and a Filipino resort worker in Semporna of Malaysia's state of Sabah, local newspaper New Straits Times reported Thursday.

The report quoted an anonymous boatman as saying that vessels with uniformed men had been deployed out to sea since last night.

The two women were abducted at around 10:30 p.m. at a resort off Semporna, the report said, adding that there were 61 guests and 47 employees at the resort at the time.

Initial investigations indicated that there were at least seven suspects who came in a wooden outboard powered boat, some of whom had weapons, according to the report.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said the priority will be to find the whereabouts of the victims and rescue them. "The authorities are on top of this and we should let them do their job," he said.