Check On Your Children S Jobs Parents Told After Detention Of Malaysians In Cambodia

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Hafsah (front, second from left), Zunita (front, second from right) and Marsita (in green tudung) during the press conference in Kuching yesterday..KUCHING: Parents must take precautions before allowing their children to work abroad, a government official said, following the detention of Malaysians believed to be involved in a scam in Cambodia
According to Special Affairs Adviser (Sarawak Affairs) in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Hafsah Harun, young people are prone to getting influenced and cheated by scammers who would promise them high-paying jobs
“Parents must find out whether the job offer is reliable or not
“There must be a form of black-and-white (letter),” she said at a press conference here attended by the parents whose children have been detained in Phnom Penh after they were apparently hoodwinked by a recruitment agency
Zunita Sedini said her son, Yusuf Islam Abdul Halik, 21, had informed her about his plans to work in Cambodia selling electrical products
“He promised to return home after three months. He is an independent person and as his parents, we supported his decision and prayed for his success.”She said Yusuf contacted her when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur and later in Phnom Penh
“I last heard from my son on Dec 9. He told me that he was doing fine there,” she said
Zunita holding a photograph of her son Yusuf Islam Abdul Halik.However, she suspected that something was wrong when he did not call for two weeks
“One day, I received a call from a number which appeared strange. I heard my son crying and pleading for help
“He told me he had been arrested in Cambodia but did not know why
“He said he could not stand it any longer. He eats white rice and drinks plain water and his body itches,” she said
Zunita said she managed to contact her son twice through video calls
She urged the government to help bring the Malaysians home as soon as possible
“We pray that they will continue to stay strong and we plan to hold a welcoming celebration for them at the airport,” she added in tears
Jude Peter, 43, from Keningau, Sabah, said he hoped to see his 19-year-old son, Jeffreydean, home safely
He said his eldest son had told him of his plans to work in Singapore and Brunei Darussalam
“He changes jobs frequently and I didn’t know he was going to Cambodia,” he said, adding that his son had found out about the job from a friend
“He contacted me in November telling me that he was working at a warehouse in Japan,” he said
Peter said Jeffreydean contacted him again in December to say he was not able to return home for Christmas but would be back during the Chinese New Year break
“I didn’t expect this to happen. I only found out that he was arrested when an officer at the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh contacted me,” he said
Another parent, Marsita Mohamad, said she is worried about the safety of her daughter, Nor Ridwana Syahzani, 21
She said Nor Ridwana had found out about the job from a friend
“I did not know that she was working in Cambodia, otherwise I would not have allowed it
“My daughter only contacted her sister last December because she was afraid to tell me her whereabouts,” she said, adding that she only found out from her son that Nor Ridwana was arrested in January
On Jan 31, she received a call from the Malaysian embassy confirming her daughter’s arrest, she said. -FMT

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