Local Youth Missing for 3 Years Suddenly Calls Parents, Claims He Was Tricked to Cambodia and Has Escaped, Hopes to Return Home

A local youth who had been missing for over 3 years recently called his parents for help, claiming that he had previously been deceived and taken to Cambodia, only just managing to escape, and is currently waiting for arrangements from the local authorities.

The parents of the victim, surnamed Wu, explained that when their son went missing, they asked his friends about him but were told 'he's doing well at work', so they didn't suspect anything.

On Friday, in a press conference arranged by Dato' Hisham, chairman of the Malaysian Humanitarian Organization (MHO), and Hu Jieliang, public relations director for the Chinese community, they said that in October 2022, their son, only 18 years old at the time, claimed he was heading to Kepong, the capital, to work in a food stall. After that, he gradually lost contact with his family.

The 51-year-old father from Semenyih, Selangor, said that this child, the second of three siblings, still kept in touch during the first month or two and had even asked them for living expenses. However, the son claimed he was doing well at work and told them not to worry. He also said that because his parents had tough lives in their village tapping rubber, they shouldn’t make a special trip to see him.

He said that his son repeatedly told the family not to contact him, saying he was obedient and wanted to lighten his parents' load, but three to four months later, his son suddenly lost all contact. For two to three years, there was no news at all.

They once inquired with their son's high school friends, who only replied 'he is doing well, his work is going well', but never revealed any specifics. It wasn't until Wednesday evening (21st) at about 8 or 9pm that their son suddenly called home, saying that he'd been deceived into going to Cambodia and had been trapped for years; only recently had he managed to escape from a scam group, and he asked his family to seek help from MHO, hoping to return to Malaysia.

The father said the family filed a police report that night and also sought help from MHO. He added that his son did not have a passport at the time; the family had originally thought he would have to wait until 21 to apply for one himself, but only recently found out that he could apply at 18.

Hisham pointed out that because the youth did not have a passport and entered Cambodia illegally, the situation is more complicated.

He said that the youth claimed to have escaped from the Poipet area. Since he has no passport and no legal entry records, it is believed that he secretly crossed into Cambodia from Thailand, but the specific date is unknown.

He revealed that the youth has been arranged to temporarily stay in a local hotel and a transit center.