Gov To Pay RM1.41mil To Families Of 7 Orang Asli Kids Who Went Missing In 2015
On 23 August 2015, seven children went missing in the jungle and only two survived.
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The families of seven Orang Asli students who went missing from a boarding school in Kelantan eight years ago have agreed to an RM1.41 million settlement with the government.
On 23 August 2015, seven SK Tohoi students ran away from their school hostel in Gua Musang because they feared getting punished by their teacher for bathing in a nearby river without permission.
Only two children survived the ordeal. Norieen Yaakob and Miksudiari Aluj, then 11 and 12 years old respectively, were found alive in an emaciated condition on 9 October 2015 (47 days in the jungle).
The remaining children were declared deceased after their decomposed bodies and skeletal remains were found.
They were:
- Norieen’s younger brother, Haikal, 8
- Ika Ayel, 9
- Juvina David, 7
- Linda Rosli, 8
- Sasa Sobrie, 8 (Initially, it was reported the body was never found but the police confirmed one of the decomposed bodies found as Sasa).
The families sued the government and eight public officials for negligence in 2018.
There were also allegations of abuse and corporal punishment in the school. This made parents wary of sending their children back to school in fear of losing more kids in a similar manner.
The settlement was reached before the trial scheduled to be heard this week.
Lawyer-activist Siti Kasim, who was supposed to appear as the first witness in the trial, said the money from the settlement would be shared equally among the families.
We have spent much time and money to get to this point, but I am thankful to the team of lawyers and experts that have finally helped the families find some closure.
Lawyer-activist Siti Kasim
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