Chinese citizen confirmed kidnapped in Malaysia

Malaysian police confirmed that a Chinese citizen was kidnapped in Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah early Tuesday, Chinese consulate in Kuching said.

According to Chinese consulate in Kuching, the abductee was from China's Guizhou province, and now working in a Malaysian fishing company.

An official of the Chinese consulate told Xinhua that they had made a call to Sabah police commissioner Hamza Taib and urged the Malaysian side to rescue the Chinese citizen timely.

Hamza promised that they would rescue the Chinese ciziten on the premise of ensuring the safety of the victim.

Earlier, there were reports saying a man suspected to be a Chinese national was kidnapped at Silam near Lahad Datu in Sabah between 2:45 am and 2:55 am local time.

Local newspaper The Star quoted unofficial reports as saying that the victim was identified as Yang Zailin, a manager of Wonderful Terrace Sdn Bhd, a company operating a fish farm in the area.

The Star said gunmen who held Yang hostage were believed to have fled to the southern Philippines, without giving more detail.

Sabah police commissioner Hamza Taib is expected to hold a press conference on the incident.

Two women, a Chinese tourist and a Filipino resort worker, were abducted by a group of gunmen from a Semporna resort in Sabah on April 2.