This is the question on most victims’ mind
By ZAHIRAH PUTRI
KUCHING: Who is ‘Mr Pipi’? Nobody knows who he is but for the 47 Malaysians who were detained in Cambodia, it is a name that they will remember until the day they die.
This is because ‘Mr Pipi’ has become their nightmare and caused them to be detained in a foreign country.
Abdul Mustaqqim Abdul Karim, 24 one of the Sarawakians detained in Banteay Meanchey Provincial Prison recalled the moment he was lured by a lucrative job offer in that country.
He admitted that he received the job offer through Facebook and WeChat.
“We were offered high-paying salaries and given flight tickets to Kuala Lumpur and Cambodia in November 27 last year.”
Abdul Mustaqqim recounted his early moments on how he, along with the other detainees, dealt with an agent known as ‘Mr Pipi’.
“We arrived Kuala Lumpur and received our flight tickets to Cambodia through the WeChat.
“Upon reaching Seam Reap, there was an agent waiting for us with a banner with the words ‘Mr Pipi’ written on it. Yes, I remember it well; he was the one who greeted us upon arrival.
“As soon as we entered his car, we were instructed to hand over our passports and mobile phones.”
‘Mr Pipi’, he said, told them to erase all messages in their phones.
“They held onto our passports and phones. We requested to contact our families in Malaysia, but they didn’t allow us to do so, saying that we can only contact our families once a week.”
Interestingly enough, ‘Mr Pipi’ himself is a Cambodian who speaks not only his national language, but also Mandarin and English.
“Until today, we do not know what has happened to ‘Mr Pipi’,” he said.
Nevertheless, that name has since taught them a lesson which they would remember for the rest of their lives.
As for Marsita Mohamad, the mother of another victim, Nor Ridwana Syahzani, 21, she felt as if “her heart had been stabbed with a knife”, not to mention the tears that have been shed.
She had prayed consistently, hoping that her child would come back.
In the mind of 48-year-old Marsita, her child was “rotting in the Cambodian jail”, but she had high hopes that her child would come back home safely.
“I’m at a loss for words. There was nothing I could say when I found out that the Sarawak government was going to intervene.
“Thank you Sarawak government, thank you,” she said when she greeted her child, along with the 42 others, at the Kuching International Airport (KIA) yesterday.
For the record, 40 Sarawakians along with seven others from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia were detained for their alleged involvement in illegal gambling.
Diplomatic negotiations between the Sarawak and Cambodian governments finally led to the return of all 47 detainees after two months of torment.
According to Marsita, the thought of her daughter being detained in a foreign prison was enough to terrify her.
Nor Ridwana only told her that she was going to Kuala Lumpur to seek employment.
“Last October, she left Kuching for Kuala Lumpur. But the last time she contacted me was in January before we knew that she was being detained in Cambodia,” she said.
Marsita said said the incident should serve as a reminder to youths out there to not be easily swayed by uncertain promises, especially if it involves working overseas.
“After this, I will not allow her to go anywhere, even to Kuala Lumpur, without her family, not without me to accompany her to interviews.
“Let this tragedy serve as a lesson to all, don’t believe in something that you are not sure of,” she said.
Just like Marsita, the mother of 20-year-old Eviana Nazreen, another victim, said her child contacted the family last December.
“We told her to take care of herself and she said she was healthy and doing good,” she recalled.
According to Evelyn Christy, she never would have thought that her child was being detained in Cambodia.
“Whether she is eating or not, how she is currently doing… any mother would worry about this, the fear would always be there because they are girls,” she said.
She, just like the family members of the other victims, relayed her upmost appreciation to the government for their efforts.
“Our children came home safely and in good health. As parents, we are very grateful for the intervention of both governments… our children are safe,” she said.
All detained Sarawakians returned home yesterday safely and were greeted by their families at KIA at 2.30pm.
If viewed from an angle, Cambodia is not a country that could afford to offer lucrative employment opportunities. With a population of 15 million, it is the 69th most populated country in the world.
It is located in the south of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia with total land area of 181,035 square kilometres.
Its capital is Phnom Penh, which is also its biggest city as it is the centre for politics, economy and Cambodian culture.
