Hijacked crews freed: Malaysia

Hijacked crews freed: Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): The Malaysian coastguard said three of the four hijacked fishing crews taken to the Philippines by pirates were freed on Thursday on ransom.

The nine crew members of the three boats were released unharmed after the boat owners paid 500 ringgit ($132) for each of them to the hijackers, coastguard commander Muhamad Muda said.

Muhamad said the hijack was unrelated to the Abu Sayyaf kidnap band holding 29 captives, including three Americans, in the southern Philippines but was the work of "ordinary sea robbers".

A group of gunmen wearing army fatigues had seized the four vessels and a total of 12 crew members on Wednesday off the Sabah port of Sandakan, on Borneo island.

The assailants, who were believed to be armed with M-16 rifles, towed the boats into Philippines waters off Ligiman island.