Suspected of being forced into a scam syndicate as a "piglet" while working in Cambodia, a 44-year-old married man who has been missing for nearly two years recently reached out to his family for help, claiming he was warned: "Delete messages or get beheaded!"
The Zhang family patriarch from Melaka stated that his son, who works in construction, went to Cambodia before February 2024 to work on so-called second-hand renovation projects.
At a press conference on Tuesday, accompanied by Malaysian Humanitarian Organization (MHO) Secretary-General Dato Hisham and Chinese Community Public Relations Officer Hu Jieliáng, he said that his son contacted the family briefly about a week after going abroad, then all communication was lost. It wasn’t until two or three months ago that his son suddenly reached out to his wife, revealing that he was trapped in a casino in Cambodia and, unable to endure his current predicament, pleaded with the family to find a way to help him return home.
He said his son repeatedly stressed in his messages that the situation was extremely dangerous, and explained he could only send one-way messages to communicate with his family, and could not answer calls. The other party severely warned him that he must immediately delete messages after sending them, or else face a threat to be "beheaded."
Mr. Zhang said that after learning the truth, the family had already filed a report with the police, but still felt helpless, unsure what more could be done to bring their son home.
"We are really worried about his safety and only hope he can come back home safely."
On the other hand, at the press conference, Hu Jieliáng revealed that in the area near the northwest border of Cambodia and Thailand, a suspected telecom scam zone of about two-fifths the size of the previous KK Park area had recently emerged. The situation is alarming, and he called on the authorities to take serious note and act decisively.