DETAINEE THANKFUL FOR AZRA’S HELP
Nurul Izzah’s special officer finally meets Yusuf after trying to locate him since last month
“THANK you, uncle Azra.” These were the words of Yusuf Islam Abdul Halik, 21, one of the 47 Malaysians detained in Banteay Mancheay, Cambodia.
He said this after he met Mohd Azra, a close family friend.
Yusuf’s mother, Zunita Sedini, 42, said Azra, who is in his 40s, was among the first to look for her son the moment information on his imprisonment was made available in December.
Azra is the special officer to Permatang Pauh member of parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar.
She said Azra had been looking for her son since last month.
Zunita had informed Azra of Yusuf ’s detention after she received a call from her eldest son and Azra had in turn promised that he would find her son.
“When he went to Cambodia for the third time, Azra and officials from the Malaysian embassy there managed to meet Yusuf and the other Malaysian detainees.
“Previously, they couldn’t find (detainees) because of the lack of information as well as local authorities denying permission to meet them.
“I was able to communicate with Yusuf through a video call while he was in prison. Only God knows how glad I was after contacting him,” she said here yesterday.
Zunita said Yusuf and the other Malaysian detainees were happy to see Azra and were thankful that he had come to help them.
“I am thankful to (Azra) and the government for helping them. I hope they will be released soon.”
The Malaysians, including nine women, were detained on Dec 11 in Poipet, Banteay Mancheay, 400km from the Cambodian capital, for allegedly being members of an international online gambling syndicate.
However, the Malaysian embassy in Cambodia found that the Malaysians, aged between 19 and 44, and mostly from Sabah and Sarawak, had been waiting for legitimate jobs while in Cambodia.
They had been offered lucrative jobs paying between US$100 (RM407) and US$200 a day by a “recruitment agency”. It is believed that the agency was a front for a human trafficking syndicate.
The Malaysian embassy was informed of the arrest by the Banteay Mancheay police only on Dec 28.
Malaysia has since sent a diplomatic note seeking the release of the 47 to the Cambodian Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry.