Kidnapped Fil-Chinese trader, daughter freed

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-23 10:25

COTABATO, the Philippines -- A Filipino-Chinese businessman and his 10-year-old daughter were freed Sunday night in southern Philippines after being held hostage for five days by unidentified armed men, a local official said.

Wilson Tan, 50, and his daughter Jennifer Tan, 10, were released in the township of Talayan in Maguindanao province, neighboring Cotabato city, where the two were snatched at gunpoint in front of their residence on February 18, Cotabato Mayor Muslimin Sema said.

Sema said kidnappers released the two at 21:00 local time (1300 GMT) and Tan called him to inform that they were in good shape and had re-united with the family.

It is not immediately clear how much ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

Tan's abduction occurred just as troops are hunting down Abu Sayyaf militants holding a Sri Lankan national Umar Jaleel of Nonviolent Peaceforce on the Basilan island and three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross - Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba - on Jolo island of the neighboring Sulu Province.