The Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) intelligence unit has identified the location of the two women abducted from Singamata Resort on Wednesday night.

According to Esscom director-general Mohammad Mentek, the duo - a Chinese tourist and Filipino resort worker - are also "in healthy condition" and are believed to be in southern Philippines.

He didn't give any other details.

However, dpa news agency reported this evening, Philippine military officer Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala believed they were brought to Simunul town in Tawi-Tawi province.

Mohammad also said that the kidnappers included those involved in last year's kidnapping of a Taiwanese tourist from Pom Pom Island, not far from Singamata Resort on Bum Bum Island.

"One of those in the group of kidnappers is believed to be involved in last year's kidnapping from Pom Pom (Island), while the rest are believed to be involved in the Sipadan Island kidnapping in 2000.

"This group who kidnaps for ransom are believed to be active and aggressive in southern Philippines," he said.

In 2000, southern Philippines separatist guerillas Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 people from a resort in Sipadan.

He said Esscom does not discount the possibility that locals with ties to the Philippines may have fed information to the kidnappers.

Esscom intercepted five boats

Mohammad added that Esscom had on March 26 intercepted five boats in the Semporna waters believed to be scouting the area for a kidnap.

In a related matter, he said that 15 foreign workers at Singamata resort have been detained because they do not have proper documentation to work in Malaysia.

The Immigration Department has been alerted and is urged to probe the resort operator for hiring illegal migrants.

"We have given repeated reminders to resort owners (not to hire illegal workers) but many still refuse.

"We can no longer compromise on this matter," he said.

Gao Hua Yuan, 29, student from Shanghai, China and Philippines national Marcy @ Mimi Dayawan, 40, were abducted by seven armed men from the resort at about 10.30pm on Wednesday.

The dive resort has been in operation for 10 years and is located about two nautical miles off the coast of Semporna.

White colored speedboat

In a related development, Philippine presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, in a media briefing, cited a report from Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala on the incident.

"(The captives) were abducted by seven fully armed men believed to be Abu Sayyaf group members and immediately boarded a white colored speedboat with a stripe blue and proceeded towards the Philippine Sea," Lacierda said.

According to news portal InterAksyon.com, Lacierda said the abductors are believed to be of the group of Murphy Ambang Ladia, also known as Haji Gulam, native of Pandami Island, Sulu.

He noted that Ladia was a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader who joined the Nur Misuari breakaway group in 2001 and was designated as the MBG logistics and transportation officer.

"Subject (Ludia) later joined the Abu Sayyaf group operating in Tawi-Tawi under Binang Sahirol," Lacierda was quoted as citing Zagala's text message.

"Initial available information obtained further stated that said abductors proceeded in the vicinity of Simunul municipality, Tawi-Tawi, eluding Malaysian authorities conducting pursuit operations."

Lacierda said that task force 62 of the Western Mindanao Command will conduct support operations to the police regional office-autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao and the provincial police office of Tawi-Tawi.

Meanwhile, China said it has not received any demands from the abductors but asked Malaysia to do its utmost to rescue its citizen.

"We request the Malaysian government to do its best to rescue and save our national," China's Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang was quoted as saying by Bernama.

He added that the incident was an isolated and will not have any adverse effect on the arrival of Chinese tourists to Malaysia.

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