SEPANG: Julau Member of Parliament Larry Sng yesterday led a team of nine individuals on a visit to Poipet, Banteay Mancheay, Cambodia where 47 Malaysians are being detained.
Joining the team are reporters and family members of the detainees.
Larry would be speaking with the Malaysian Embassy and Cambodian authorities to get updates on the trial period or immediate release of the 47 Malaysians detained there.
On his visit to the country yesterday, Larry said he hoped to get better understanding of the issue, to see the detainees’ condition and to see how best he could assist them.
“We are currently getting piecemeal information on the issue here in Malaysia,” he told reporters when met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) departure hall before departing for Cambodia yesterday.
He stressed that by going to Cambodia, it is hoped that better information would be gathered directly from the source.
“At the moment this is our first trip, and possibly could be our last trip to secure their release,” he said.
He said if things are prolonged, then it would not be the only visit to Cambodia to see the prisoners.
Regarding the family members who went to Cambodia, he said they bore their own expenses and were not sponsored.
It is learnt that many family members wanted to go but due to financial constraints, they could not make it, he pointed out.
“I hope the trip would be successful and that Malaysians would continue to pray for the release of the detainees.”
Larry and the team left Kuala Lumpur at 6.45am and arrived there at 7.50am (8.50am Cambodian time) yesterday.
They would be heading straight for the prison and were escorted by Malaysian Embassy officials.
Zunita Sedini and Chong Mei Lan were among the families of the detainees to meet their next of kin yesterday.
Meanwhile, the mother to Yusuf Islam, 21, hoped she would be able meet her son.
Zunita said she also hoped that her eldest son and the rest of the detainees could be released immediately.
Cambodian police raided a house on December 11 last year which was suspected to be a nest of illegal activities.
A total of 47 Malaysians, 44 of them Sarawakians were arrested and detained.
