The family of a Malaysian woman who wasn’t heard from for 22 years after she travelled to Indonesia 22 years ago have finally welcomed her home.
The woman, Mariam Mohamad Nazeri, flew from Indonesia on a Batik Air Malaysia flight and landed safely at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at around 10pm on Tuesday (July 21).
Went to Indonesia in 2004
According to Mariam’s niece Norshamsiah Zainal Abidin, she told Berita RTM that Mariam boarded a flight to Indonesia along with her daughter in 2004 before losing contact with her family.
Seven years later, the family got a call from Mariam, who sounded distressed and begged for help in returning to Malaysia. However, they once again lost contact with her after the call.
Lengthy search
Determined to locate Mariam and bring her home, the family began searching for her with the help of Pertubuhan Kebajikan Malaysia (PEKEMAS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Department, the National Registration Department (JPN), the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia, as well as social media and residents in Flores.
However, their search was made all the more difficult by Flores’ terrain, which consists of multiple islands and remote villages.
Eventually, the family was able to locate Mariam thanks to information obtained through the connections they built with local communities in Flores.
Home
After Mariam was found, she was placed under temporary care in Flores while the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta worked on completing the necessary documentation to facilitate her return.
PEKEMAS adviser Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah told Berita RTM that bringing Mariam home required close coordination between multiple agencies.
He added that her return also saw a delay due to volcanic activity in Indonesia which disrupted travel plans.
Nevertheless, Mariam’s family can finally be at ease knowing that she’s now safe and sound with them.
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