After son's death, father begs govt to bring home other job scam victims

It has been a difficult few months for Goi Zhen Feng’s parents, who thought they would see their son safe and sound when they travelled to Thailand on Aug 30.

They arrived in Bangkok thinking that their son was receiving treatment at Mae Sot Hospital, but instead, they were greeted by the news that Zhen Feng had died on May 11.

Zhen Feng was believed to have been a victim of a job scam syndicate.

Refusing to let the same fate befall other scam victims, Zhen Feng’s 50-year-old father Goi Chee Kong and 45-year-old mother urgently plead with the government to safely bring the victims home before it’s too late.

“I hope the government saves the other (scam) victims in Myanmar and Cambodia as this does not only involve the victim’s personal pain but their parents and family as well.

“They (the family) feel heartache, panic and mental anguish. Seconds that pass feel like years. Every time I think of the family’s misery, I would shed tears.

“I hope the government saves them. Let the victims reunite with their families.

“I hope my son is the first and last Malaysian victim to die as a result of this scam,” Chee Kong tearfully said during a press conference today.

Last call

Zhen Feng’s ashes were brought home on Sept 16 after he was cremated at Hin Kong Temple in Si Racha, about 120km southeast of Bangkok.

Chee Kong said his 23-year-old son left home in Ipoh on Jan 19 to visit his online girlfriend, with promises to return in early February. He had no prior health complications before his departure.

Their last call with Zhen Feng was on March 31, when he said he was at the Mae Sot Hospital and requested RM80,000 for medical treatment.

“Zhen Feng also said someone was supervising the call. He did not speak in his usual manner,” Chee Kong said.

It was reported that the victim was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit where he died (on May 11). His body was buried at the Si Racha cemetery in Chonburi province under a fake name without his family’s knowledge.

Zhen Feng’s family resorted to raising funds on Sept 2 to pay off the hospital bill of about RM40,000 before they could obtain a death certificate to conduct a DNA test, cremate the body, and bring the victim’s ashes back to Ipoh.

Police report soon

Meanwhile, Teruntum assemblyperson Sim Chon Siang, who was also at the press conference, said Zhen Feng is still considered a living person in Malaysia.

He said the family will make a police report soon to register his death.

Sim also said he is on a mission to hold the “agents” in these syndicates accountable.

He claimed that some of these agents have personally fallen victim to these syndicates, who later returned to Malaysia to recruit others into joining the scam.

Another victim, who only wanted to be identified as Ms B, lodged a police report at the Kuantan police district headquarters yesterday.

According to a copy of the report sighted by Malaysiakini, Ms B had travelled to Thailand in March after being offered a job.

However, she was taken to KK Park in Myawaddy, Myanmar instead which she alleged was heavily guarded by armed forces. KK Park is an allegedly notorious location for job scam syndicates.

The single mother of three was forced to work as a “scammer” for three months before being allowed to return to Malaysia on Aug 16.

Job scam syndicate issue to be raised in cabinet - minister

Opposition calls for a mechanism to compensate scam victims

NGOs urge govt to use Asean platform to tackle overseas job scam issue

Overseas job scam: Police say 168 Malaysians stranded

'Can't stop locals going to Cambodia, be wary of high salary offers'

Alarmed by scams, Taiwan’s job bank removes 179 overseas postings

Scam victims’ harrowing tale of trafficking, torture and escape

35 Malaysian job scam victims rescued at Thai-Myanmar border