File picture shows police taking eyewitness accounts from patrons at the Ocean King restaurant in Sandakan after two persons including Bernard Then were abducted on May 15, 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — Sandakan MP Stephen Wong is seeking an emergency discussion in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow on the death of Sarawakian Bernard Then who is believed to have been beheaded this afternoon by a terrorist group in the southern Philippines.

The opposition federal lawmaker condemned the killing of the Malaysian hostage, calling it “an act of war against us” and urged Putrajaya to take a firm stand against the terrorists through the regional platforms available currently.

“It is not just an issue for East coast of Sabah, but it is about sovereignty of our country,” he said in a statement as news broke of the 39-year-old’s death, said to be at the hands of the Abu Sayyaf group who has repeatedly intruded into Malaysian waters and snatched citizens and tourists for ransom to fund its terrorist activities.

Wong, who is also Sabah DAP vice-chairman urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is currently in Manila for the two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum to press the Philippine government act against the Abu Sayyaf.

“Abu Sayyaf is like the ISIS in South East Asia,” he said, referring to the global terrorist group Islamic State that is currently warring in Syria.

“All Asean countries must come together to discuss this matter and escalate east coast Sabah security problem to be a major regional issue that all South East Asia countries must seek for solution,” he added.

He urged Malaysia as chair of Asean to also raise the issue at the regional conference that will kick off tomorrow here and find ways to tackle the problem.

Then, together with another Malaysian Thien Nyuk Fun, 50, was abducted on May 15 from the popular Ocean King seafood restaurant in Sandakan, the second largest town in Sabah after its capital Kota Kinabalu during peak dinner hours.

Sandakan is one of six districts under the Eastern Sabah Security Zone where curfew is imposed between dusk and dawn; the others are Tawau, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Kinabatangan and Kunak.

The Abu Sayyaf freed Thien last week, but held onto Then after negotiations hit a deadlock.

According to Filipino news reports citing military intelligence sources, Then was killed after his family failed to comply with its ransom demands.