A 60-YEAR-OLD farmer in Malaysia was so determined to marry a 28-year-old estate worker that he kidnapped her when she turned down his proposal.

The New Straits Times yesterday quoted police in Terengganu as saying the farmer forced the woman into his car while she was walking home from work.

But a friend of the woman witnessed her abduction last Thursday and informed police, who contacted the man's relatives to persuade him to free her. Nine hours later, the woman was released unharmed and the farmer surrendered to police, said the newspaper.

The deputy head of the state's criminal investigations department, Mr K. Manoharan, confirmed the incident but could not immediately give more details.

The couple have not been identified.

ASSOCIATED PRESS