Compiled by C. ARUNO, FARIK ZOLKEPLI and R. ARAVINTHAN
HUMAN traffickers in Cambodia are threatening to sell a Malaysian’s organs if his family does not pay a ransom of US$15,000 (RM66,331), reported Oriental Daily.
Tay Poh Chai, an electrician from Bukit Mertajam, left for Cambodia in October last year to pursue what he believed was a job at a casino that would pay RM9,000 a month.
However, on May 27 this year, the 39-year-old contacted his mother Khor Cha Bo, 68, saying that he needed US$15,000 to secure his release from his employer, who had threatened to sell his organs if the money was not transferred soon.
Worried and out of ideas, Khor and her other son Poh Heng, 43, held a press conference at Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim’s service centre on June 13.
Poh Heng, who works as a hawker, had warned his younger brother that it was a scam, but the latter was adamant on going to Cambodia.
“I told him to listen to me but he refused. He said it was impossible to earn so much here,” he said.
He added that Poh Chai arrived in Cambodia on Oct 17 but was not sure who had paid for his flight.
The younger sibling had initially reported back to his family saying that things were good over there, but said on multiple occasions that he was unable to send any money home.
The family did not realise anything was amiss until the latest message pleading for help on May 27.
They have made a police report and hope the Malaysian government would be able to help bring Poh Chai safely home.
A group of 16 Malaysians who were forced to work for an illegal syndicate in Cambodia were successfully brought home in April.
> A plus-sized Malaysian cosplaying as Ultraman won the hearts of Internet users, with many praising him for his courage, reported Sin Chew Daily.
In video footage that was shared online, taken at the Ipoh Parade mall, the audience clapped and cheered for the cosplayer as he struck various poses on stage.
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.