Goi Chee Kong, 50, and his wife, 45, from Ipoh, Perak, were devasted when they found out Zhan Feng, 23, had fallen victim to a job scam.
He was believed to have been trafficked into Myawaddy in south-eastern Myanmar and forced to work for the syndicate.
“We were told my son was ill and was receiving treatment at the hospital. My wife and I travelled to Bangkok, hoping to bring him back to Malaysia for treatment.
“However, we were informed he had died on May 11. The doctor believed my son was abused before he was left at the hospital for treatment on April 11”.
Chee Kong said his son was admitted to the hospital’s ICU unit under a fake name and passport number.
Due to his son’s fake identity, he said the hospital could not reach the family to discuss his health condition and get proper treatment.
“Without further medical treatment, he passed away a month later. His remain was buried at a cemetery in Si Racha in Chonburi province,” he said.
He was informed by a non-governmental organisation that arranged his son’s burial services in May to settle the outstanding hospital bills of about RM40,000 before the family could obtain a death certificate.
A fundraising campaign was launched on Friday with the assistance of Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang.
The family collected RM50,000 from generous members of the public.
Accompanying the family to Mae Sot, Sim said the family would settle the hospital bills on Monday (Sept 5) and obtain the death certificate and permission to exhume the body at the burial site at Si Racha in Chonburi as soon as possible.
Zhan Feng, a final year student of the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG), travelled to Bangkok for a holiday on January 19 to meet a friend he had met on social media.
He promised to return home to celebrate his mother’s birthday on Feb 5. However, he did not show up. Two days later, his father lodged a missing person report.
On March 31, Zhan Feng called the parents and informed them that he was in Mae Sot in Tak Province and he needed RM80,000 for medical treatment.
“During the conversation, we noticed something unusual. We believed he was monitored and threatened. He was unusually quiet. He also apologised for not being able to return home. He promised will return home a year later… We have not heard from him since then,” Chee Kong said.
Credit The Nation
