KUCHING: Lai Wen Siang, one of the Malaysians detained in Cambodia since Dec 11, managed to send some money to his 57-year-old mother Tan Chai Hay before he was arrested.
Wen Siang’s brother, Wen Jie, said the money was sent in November, a month after he had arrived in Cambodia.
He said the money was meant for Wen Siang’s children, who are in the custody of his ex-wife.
“After sending the money, Wen Siang called our mother and asked her to check her bank account as he had wired some money for the children,” he said.
Wen Jie said that was the last time the family heard from Wen Siang.
The Foreign Ministry, he said, called the family on Jan 23 to inform them of Wen Siang’s arrest in Cambodia.
“It was two weeks before Chinese New Year when we found out... it was terrible news and really saddened us, especially mother. Wisma Putra told us that my brother had sent a message to mother, saying that he was sorry he couldn’t make it back for Chinese New Year,” he said.
Wen Jie said he, in fact, did not know that his younger brother had gone to Cambodia to work.
He said Wen Siang went there with two friends who said in the same residential area in Taman Malihah.
“Here (in Kuching), he was out of work. I guess that is why he was willing to travel to Cambodia, especially since he was offered work with lucrative pay,” he said.
Tan also said she did not know that Wen Siang had gone to work in Cambodia.
“All he told me was that he was going ‘somewhere else’ to work... I though he went to Singapore as he had been there before to find work,” she said.
Wen Siang and 46 other Malaysians are being held in Banteay Mancheay prison some 446km from Phnom Penh after being arrested for allegedly being involved in an online gaming syndicate.
However, Malaysian embassy officials in Cambodia were told that all had taken up work offers from a recruitment agency.
Malaysian authorities believe the agency was a front for a human trafficking syndicate and are working to secure the release of the 47.