KUCHING: Datuk Dr Mustapha Ahmad Marican, head of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Antarabangsa, has an interesting story concerning his involvement in getting 47 Malaysians detained in Cambodia released last weekend.
Mustapha is not a celebrity so he’s not widely known even in Malaysia. So for those not in the know, the 59-year-old Terengganu native has been running Antarabangsa’s humanitarian activities in Cambodia since 2000.
He has a long working relationship with Cambodian Senior Minister in-charge of Special Mission, Datuk Othsman Hassan, whom he has known for 20 years.
He also has a close 15-year relationship with Santubong MP and former deputy minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
“After I came to know that the 47 Malaysian detainees were victims of a job scam, I knew my mission was to help the relevant authorities get them released and transported home,” he said.
The detainees were kept at Banteay Meanchey Provincial Prison since Dec 11 last year.
“I learned about the case on Feb 7 when it was first revealed by Julau MP Larry Sng during a press conference,” he recalled.
“I received calls from various people in academia, civil service, business, and private individuals. They know that I am close to certain Cambodian government officers.
“So I kept contacting Datuk Othsman from Feb 7 till Feb 10 to find out more about the case unil he finally asked me to go to Cambodia to help,” he said.
On Feb 11, he went to Phnom Penh to meet Othsman. They flew to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh and then took a two-hour drive from Siem Reap to the prison to meet the detainees.
“We talked with them and soon deduced that they were victims of a job scam,” said Mustapha.
“I was shocked that they were promised high salaries, which was odd because I have been in Cambodia for a long time and they lag far behind us.”
Being familiar with Cambodia, Mustapha knew what to do and who to approach. His NGO experience stood him in good stead in dealing with the situation.
“Datuk Othsman finally talked with Prime Minister Hun Sen who agreed to release the Malaysians upon knowing that they were victims of a job scam,” he said, adding that there are differences in how a government and an NGO approach that sort of case.
“Wisma Putra ̶ the Malaysian Government ̶ uses a diplomatic approach whereas an NGO is not tied to any party. They can directly meet a minister or a person of higher authority. That was why the detainees were released quickly,” he said, adding that the local NGO in Cambodia also helped him in many ways.
The detainees, 33 from Kuching, Sibu (6), Sarikei (1), Sabah (3), Selangor (3), Kuala Lumpur (1) were released on Feb 15 at 6.30pm Cambodian time (7.30pm Malaysian time).
The release was achieved through the combined efforts of the federal government, Sarawak government and Cambodian government.
Other individuals who also played some part in it were Larry Sng and Mohd Azra, and a special assistant to Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
As to why he chose Cambodia to do his welfare work, Mustapha said, “Someone from the Malaysian embassy in Cambodia urged me to visit the country, and that was when it all started. I was working with Wisma Putra from 1999 to 2008.”
Before that, from 1980 till 1984, he was in Sibu serving with the Royal Malaysian Navy.
In 1985, he entered Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Penang to study creative writing. After that he continued his studies in social culture and strategies at Universiti Malaya (UM). He also has a Master and PHD in Business Law.
He has received many awards for his humanitarian work, and in Dec 2017 he received Cambodia’s highest award from Prime Minister Hun Sen for his 20 years of welfare work in Cambodia.
