Heatstroke victim a student

ALOR SETAR: Wan Mohd Aliff Faisal Wan Ismedi, 23, who died of heatstroke on Tuesday was the eldest of five siblings and a student of Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN).

The Kelantan-born was participating in the basic course for young volunteer servicemen from Saturday in Jitra when he succumbed to the condition.

His mother, Nortisayang alias Norhayati Wok, 41, who lives in Kuantan, said her son was offered a course at the Al-Azhar Universiti in Egypt in 2012 but she did not allow him to go because of the crisis there then.

"Later, he got an offer to study engineering at Universiti Malaysia Pahang but he was not interested in the course. Finally, he chose to study at KUIN in Kuala Ketil (Kedah)," she told Bernama.

Wan Mohd Aliff Faisal suffered breathing difficulties and fainted after sports training and died at 7.45pm on Tuesday at Jitra Hospital.

Nortisayang said she was informed of his death at 8.30pm on that day by the Regiment 513 Territorial Army Camp in Bukit Pinang which conducted the course.

She said she last met her son during the Chinese New Year earlier this year when he returned to their home in Kuantan to take the car she had bought for him.

"He had never given the family any hardship, never asked for money. Once I telephoned him and during the conversation asked him what he had eaten. When he said he had taken rice with ketchup, I wept because he had kept silent about his (financial) difficulty," said Nortisayang.

She said that when he was 19, Wan Mohd Aliff Faisal, who was better known as Bob among his friends, served as a religious teacher at the Jamek Mosque in Beserah, Kuantan, while waiting for his Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia results.

KUIN student affairs director Dr Rohani Desa conveyed condolences to the family on behalf of the college and said funeral expenses and other aid would be handed over to the family.

Wan Mohd Aliff Faisal was buried in Pasir Tumboh, Kelantan on Wednesday. - Bernama