HUGS AND KISSES AS MUM, SON REUNITE
Other Malaysian detainees begged Zunita for help
IT was only a short, hour-long visit, but it was enough to soothe a mother’s heart which had been weighed down by worry for 63 long days. So relieved was 42-year-old Zunita Sedini that she showered her son, Yusuf Islam Abdul Halik, with hugs and kisses as the two met at the Banteay Mancheay Prison in Poipet, at 10.30am local time (11.30am Malaysia).
Yusuf Islam is one of 47 Malaysians being held in Cambodia since Dec 11 for allegedly being part of a gambling syndicate.
The 21-year-old from Petra Jaya and his countrymen had gone to Cambodia after allegedly being duped by a recruitment agency, believed to be a front for a human trafficking syndicate, which had offered lucrative salaries for a three-month job.
Their plight came to light earlier this month, after news broke that Banteay Mancheay police had detained them and only informed the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh after 17 days.
Zunita had arrived in Cambodia with a group led by Julau member of parliament Larry Sng.
Her family told the New Straits Times that the meeting between mother and son was relaxed, even though it was closely monitored by prison officials.
“Zunita entered the prison and was immediately hugged by Yusuf. Some other Malaysian detainees were allowed to speak to her as well and begged her for help to get them released,” said a family member.
He said, however, that cameras and cellphones were not allowed inside the prison, so there were no pictures or videos of the meeting between Zunita and Yusuf Islam.
The Foreign Ministry, via its embassy in Phnom Penh, is working to secure the release of the 47 Malaysians.