Kidnappers free Chinese trader in Sulu - police

Kidnappers, presumed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf group, have freed the Filipino-Chinese restaurant owner they abducted last April. Police Dir. Felicisimo Khu of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO)-Western Mindanao said the kidnappers released 67-year-old businessman Nelson Lim to Jolo Vice Mayor Edsir Tan at around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday. He likewise said that relatives of Lim confirmed the news but that they have yet to confirm whether ransom was paid. "Any detail on ransom payment is not yet available," he said in a text message to media on Friday. Khu, however, said that they trying to interview Lim to obtain information about his abductors and eventually convince him to file appropriate criminal charges. Lim owns Plaza Panciteria, one of Jolo’s oldest and popular restaurants. The trader also owns the Times Hardware. Last April 29, at least seven heavily-armed men abducted Lim near his house in Sitio Lambayong, Barangay Bus-bus in Jolo town. In an earlier interview, Khu said Lim's abductors were members of an Abu Sayyaf group faction led by sub-leader Jurim Hussin. The Abu Sayyaf, an al Qaeda-linked band of Islamic fundamentalists, had carried out several kidnapping incidents in the past, victimizing even foreigners. The group is also responsible for bombing attacks not only in Mindanao but also in Metro Manila. — LBG, GMA News