Compiled by C. ARUNO, PAVITHRA RAMAN and R. ARAVINTHAN
A JOB scam victim from Sarawak escaped from his captors in Myanmar by jumping from a two-storey building where he was being held, reported China Press.
The man, who is said to have been duped into travelling to Myawaddy in south-eastern Myanmar, overheard his captors who were trying to “sell” him to another syndicate in KK Park, which is notorious as a hotbed of scam syndicates.
The victim plucked up the courage to “take the plunge” on Sept 5 before quickly taking shelter in a nearby neighbourhood, where he then borrowed a phone from a local to call his friends and family back in Bintulu.
He messaged them about his harrowing experience of being scammed and sold by syndicates.
According to his messages, there was another victim from Sibu but this victim stayed put because he did not think he was fit enough to make the jump.
The man from Bintulu only had some scrapes and bruises but was otherwise unhurt from the fall.
> Consumers in Malaysia have been assured of their Christmas decorations this year as operators had stocked up much earlier, China Press also reported.
FNC retail chain’s purchasing manager Yang Tian Shun said factories in China were forced to shut down due to China’s strict Covid-19 policies, which led to a production shortage.
“If an operator chose to stock up only in June, 80% of their suppliers would have problems sending them goods.
“If they began only in August or September, it would have been too late,” he said.
Yang estimates that demand for Christmas decorations will increase by 10% to 15% this year, adding that prices are likely to remain as before due to the sufficient stock.
According to a report by state media CCTV, 80% of the world’s Yuletide decorations are produced in Yiwu, the “Christmas Town of China”, in Zhejiang province.
> An 11-year-old from China’s Shandong province warmed the hearts of Internet users with his diligence and determination in helping his father run his hawker stalls.
Quoting local news reports, Sin Chew Daily said the boy worked more than 17 hours a day during the summer holidays to man his dad’s stalls selling pancakes, cakes and porridge while his father prepared other food in the kitchen.
Asked in a video interview if he misses playing with his friends, the boy laughs out loud and nods, before quickly adding that he does not mind the work as he understands that life as a single parent is not easy.
“There is a saying that without the taste of bitterness, there will be no sweetness.
“No matter how tired I feel, I won’t be as tired as my dad,” he said.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.