Sabah police commissioner Noor Rashid Ibrahim has pledged that his men will do everything possible to secure the release of two local seaweed farm workers abducted in Philippine waters on Feb 8.

The men were reportedly snatched by five persons in waters off Semporna and whisked away in a speedboat.

"We can assure you that the duo is safe," said Noor Rashid. "Keeping quiet does not mean that we are not doing anything or that we don't know anything."

The police chief confirmed that he has vital information on the duo, but could not disclose it without getting into details about on-going operations. The public and the media need to know this, he added.

"We are playing a very critical role here."

He was commenting on media reports on Thursday after remarks by the family members of the kidnapped duo - Tsen Vui 42, and his cousin Lai Wing Chau, 33 - that they were making attempts to seek Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak's help.

This purportedly followed a ransom demand of RM2 million from the kidnappers.

Noor Rashid said he had known about the ransom demand much earlier, but had to remain silent out of concern for the safety of the kidnap victims.

Negotiations seem to be positive

"Now that the families have disclosed the ransom demand to the media, there's nothing that we can do about it," he said.

"All we can do now is to continue to play our role in efforts to bring the two workers home safe and sound."

Noor Rashid said Philippine police told their Sabah counterparts, that the Malaysians were last held captive in the Tawi Tawi area, about 1,000 km south-west of Manila. They were taken to another place, however, with the arrival of the military there.

Noor Rashid could not confirm whether the kidnappers were mere bandits or members of the Abu Sayyaf, a splinter group of militant separatists.

" Efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims with negotiations currently showing positive signs," said Noor Rashid. "Based on information from our sources, the duo are in good health."

Sabah police are also stepping up operations in the coastal waters to curb sea robberies, which he said have become rampant in the Sandakan and Kudat areas.

NONE He believes that many cases go unreported and urged the fishing communities to work closely with the police by providing information.

Earlier this week, Tsen's wife, Chua Mui Ling, told the media in Kota Kinabalu of the ransom demand from the kidnappers for the release of her husband and his cousin.

"We are ordinary people," she said. "Where can we find the money? We don't have the means to raise such money."The ransom demand was conveyed by the abductors to a relative, Chong Man Tung.

Chua disclosed that after a two-month silence, she received a call about a week ago from Tsen and Lai for the first time to tell her that they were safe. She said that since the abduction, she received at least one call a month from the abductors until July 1.

Emotional impact on victim's son

After that there have been no calls until last week. She and her husband have a son,11, and a daughter, 15. "Everyday, we are holding prayers for their well-being and safe return, said Chua.

"My son is losing weight and doing badly in school since the abduction of his father. He does not say anything, but I can see that he's unable to cope with the situation."

Tsen's mother, Wong Shui Khau, 64, said they hope to seek the help of the prime minister to secure the release of the men. "All we want is ten minutes of his time to tell him of our plight," said Wong.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman foreign minister anifah aman ( right ) told the local media in Kota Kinabalu on Sep 16 that the Philippine government has pledged to do its best to secure the release of the abductees.

He added the issue was among the things discussed during his meeting with Philippine president Benigno S Aquino III in Manila on Tuesday.

"They have to handle this matter very, very carefully because we do not want to endanger the lives of the two victims," he said.

He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a luncheon with some 30 ambassadors and high commissioners at a resort on Gaya Island, off Kota Kinabalu. They had flown in for the Malaysia Day celebrations.

Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have staged kidnappings in Sabah in the past, and then brought their hostages to jungle hide-outs in southern Jolo Island to seek ransom.

In a spectacular April 2000 raid, Abu Sayyaf militants abducted ten European tourists and 11 Malaysian and Filipino workers from a dive resort in Sipadan. The hostages were eventually freed after large ransom payments were made.