By LYNCH COWAN
KUCHING: Datuk Sri Fatimah Abdullah has said that her ministry would provide counselling to the families of the 44 Sarawakians held in Cambodia.
The State Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development minister told reporters during a visit to the home of one of the detainees Nur Ridwana Syahzani, 21, at Taman Sri Wangi Flat here yesterday.
“The ministry has professional counsellors for the job,” she said, adding that the state government had appointed its lawyers to provide the best legal services to get the detainees released and home safely.
Fatimah also said to leave negotiations to the Malaysian government and its Cambodian counterpart.
She explained that there was no need for further speculation as this could compromise ongoing talks to bring home the 47 Malaysians, including the 44 Sarawakians.
The 47 Malaysians (37 males and 10 females) have been detained since Dec 11 last year on suspicion of running an illegal gambling operation.
However, it has since emerged that they were victims of a syndicate who had lured them to Cambodia on the pretext of a lucrative paying job.
“Our chief minister had asked me to visit the families of the detainees to explain to them because the case involves two countries (Malaysia and Cambodia).
“It is a very sensitive issue, which needs to be tackled professionally,” she said.
According to her, Wisma Putra and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had continued to update the state government on the case and the conditions of the detainees.
“Even before this, there were already negotiations between the Malaysian and Cambodian governments.
“It is a very sensitive case so we have to be very careful,” she said, adding that negotiations were going on smoothly.
Fatimah said as this was a police case, there was a need to wait for the outcome of investigations into what really happened.
She also thanked all non-governmental organisations in assisting the detainees.
“We pray to God for their release and safe return to their families.”
Meanwhile, Nur Ridwana’s Marsita Mohamad, 49, hoped that her daughter would be released soon.
She said she did not know exactly why her daughter was arrested.
