[Borneo Post] Philippine soldiers found a headless body in Sulu late Monday evening. Major Filemon Tan Jr.said that the military believed the cadaver belonged to Malaysian national Bernard Then Ted Fen.Tan said, "(The) alleged decapitated body of Malaysian Chinese Bernard Then Ted Fen is recovered at Sitio Lungon-lungon in Barangay Lanao Dakula, Parang municipality. (It) will be subjected to DNA testing to determine if it matches the head recovered last month," he added, referring to the severed head found on November 17.
The head, which was found inside a bag labeled with the name of the kidnap victim, was recovered in Indanan town.
Then was abducted, together with restaurant owner Thien Nyuk Fun, on May 14. Thien was released after paying ransom but the group led by Abu Sayyaf leaders Alhabsy Misaya and Idang Susukan had demanded P30 million for Then's freedom.
The Malaysian media reported in August that Then had told his wife the Abu Sayyaf planned to kill him if the ransom was not delivered by November. Then also said that another hostage, Dapitan village chair Rodolfo Boligao, had been beheaded because of his family's failure to pay ransom.
In a statement, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said such beheadings were an "act of terrorism." The MILF also called on the Abu Sayyaf to stop its "un-Islamic" kidnappings. The statement said, "We call upon the Abu Sayyaf to abandon their kidnapping activities, being against Islam and human dignity and civility. Kidnapping will bring your group to nowhere.""We also call upon the leaders of the Sulu Province, including the politicians, MNLF and the claimants to the Sultanate of Sulu to pool their efforts together to stop or at least neutralize these kidnapping activities," the MILF added.
Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the time has come for the government of Sulu to take action and end the atrocities in that province.