Cover image via Amirudin Sahib/Harian Metro
A 22-year-old Malaysian woman is believed to be a victim of human trafficking in Cambodia after a trip with friends took a terrifying turn
Her mother, Yanti, 45, received a heartbreaking message from her via Telegram late last month.
"Mama bantu lepaskan saya (Mama, please help release me)," the message read.
According to Yanti, her daughter had travelled with two friends, a couple, on what was supposed to be a short holiday to Thailand. However, she was allegedly smuggled across the border into Cambodia and is now being held by a syndicate linked to online scams, reported Harian Metro.
"She didn't know she was being deceived… now, she's the only Malaysian there; everyone else is Chinese," said Yanti at a press conference organised by the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO).
Her daughter's ability to speak Mandarin, she said, comes from her father, Yanti's ex-husband.
According to the mother, contact with her daughter has been sporadic and limited to Telegram messages. She shared that her daughter had sent her a location pin and begged to be rescued.
"She's only been able to contact me a few times via Telegram. She asked for help and sent her location, but I don't know what her condition is now," the mother shared.
Yanti, who is from Limbang, Sarawak, came to Kuala Lumpur last week to seek help from MHO.
"I'm staying at a hotel in the city and will remain here until my daughter is rescued."
Just yesterday, she said, her daughter messaged again, asking, "When can you bring me home?"
Yanti has already lodged a police report and is now appealing to the authorities and government for urgent intervention.
"I want my daughter back with me. She's my only child."
MHO Secretary-General Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said the organisation has taken steps to raise the case with both the Malaysian Embassy in Cambodia and the Cambodian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Image via Amirudin Sahib/Harian Metro
