SIBU: Corporal David Edmund Rapi, one of the two soldiers who went missing since Friday during an operation on Pulau Perak in Kedah, was looking forward to retiring from the military service in about two years’ time.
He was excited at the prospect of seeing and spending time with his family more often said his younger sister Norliana Aishah Abdullah.
She said the last time they saw him was in June when he returned to their hometown in Dalat, Mukah Division in Sarawak, for a holiday.
David, who has been in service for about 20 years and his colleague L/Cpl Moses Logers also from Sarawak, were part of the 'Op Pejarak', operation of the Royal Malaysian Navy in which army personnel were stationed at two islands in the waters between Perak and Kedah. They were found missing late at night during a roll call.
“Our parents were shocked when police personnel came to our family home to inform them of their missing son.
“However, they are hoping for the best as we understand that the search (for both men) has intensified,” added Norliana.
On Friday night, soon after realising that both personnel were missing during the roll call, search efforts by team members commenced immediately but had to be stopped in the early hours of Saturday because of strong winds, heavy showers and limited visibility.
The search and rescue operation was later resumed by the Army with help from the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
The family of L/Cpl Moses is fervently praying that he will be found safe.
His aunt Kimkee Jiwa, 50, said Moses, 25, was a friendly person, with a love for animals and the environment.
She said that he had returned home for a week during the Gawai Dayak celebration last month.
Moses, from Kampung Senibong in Bau, in service for five years, is from the 4th Battalion of Royal Ranger Regiments, based at the Bukit Cowder Camp in Perlis.
"He is a good person and I am very close to him... this is unexpected and seems like a dream," shared Kimkee, when met by Bernama at Moses’s house in Kampung Senibong today.
She said that two of his siblings had left for the Bukit Cowder Camp today, to know the latest developments in the hope that their youngest brother was safe.
Meanwhile, his cousin, Mariana Ashatania Rengga, 22, said while family members were still sad, many of Moses' friends who were just as upset, were praying that he was safe.
The Defence Ministry issued a statement yesterday confirming that the two army personnel were missing since late Friday during the roll call. — BERNAMA