KUALA LUMPUR (BERNAMA) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday (March 30) met the three kidnap victims who were recently released after being held by Abu Sayyaf militants since July last year.
He spent about half an hour with the victims who were accompanied by their family members at the Prime Minister's residence.
The three Malaysians - Mr Jumadil Rahim, 24, Mr Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 33, and Mr Fandy Bakran, 27 - were rescued by Philippine security forces in an operation on Sunday.
Also present at the meeting was Kelab Putera 1Malaysia president Abdul Azeez Rahim.
The victims also met their family members during an emotional reunion.
The Foreign Ministry had said the three Malaysians who were abducted were rescued by the Sulu Joint Task Force during an operation called Full Force Military Operations in Sulu.
The trio arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Wednesday at about 8pm.
On Monday, Mr Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor met two other fishermen - Mr Tayudin Anjut, 46, and Mr Abdul Rahim Summas, 63 - who were kidnapped together with Mr Jumadil, Mr Mohd Ridzuan and Mr Fandy.
Mr Tayudin and Mr Abdul Rahim have said they were treated as slaves when they were held by the Abu Sayyaf.
They said they were forced to cook for the militant group, and were given only leftovers for food and salty drinking water.
The militants have capitalised on decades of instability in southern Philippines and generated tens of millions of dollars from piracy and ransom payments.