TWO elderly fathers have made desperate appeals for help to locate their missing sons, who are feared to have fallen victim to transnational scam syndicates operating in Southeast Asia.
One man disappeared after travelling to Laos, while another is believed to be trapped in Myanmar, where his family has allegedly been threatened with his death unless a RM250,000 ransom is paid.
Retiree Wee, 65, from Yong Peng, Johor, said his family has had no contact with his son, Wee Sio Poh, 35, since he left Malaysia on Feb 5.
Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) activist Felix Ng said Sio Poh had told his Aunt he was travelling to Taiwan and Hong Kong with a friend and promised to return home in time for Chinese New Year.
Instead, he vanished without a trace, prompting his family to lodge a police report on Feb 19.
“His father later checked with the Immigration Department in Batu Pahat and discovered that his son had departed Malaysia through Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2).
“Further checks with the airline found that he had boarded a flight to Vientiane, Laos, and not Taiwan,” BH cited Felix saying at a press conference.
He said the family remains in the dark over Sio Poh's whereabouts and what happened to him after he arrived in Laos.
In a separate case, 78-year-old Lai Kim Sing, who earns a living selling fried noodles, fears for the safety of his son, Lai Sam Yap, 38, after receiving calls and messages demanding ransom payments.
The victim's last known location is believed to be Shwe Kokko, Myanmar, an area widely associated with online scam operations.
Felix said Sam Yap's girlfriend informed the family that he had allegedly been persuaded by a friend to travel to Cambodia in February.
The family subsequently lost contact with him for several months before receiving voice and video calls about a week ago.
“Sam Yap contacted his parents asking for money, initially 40,000 baht, then US$40,000, before the demand was increased to RM250,000.
“The family also received threats that Sam Yap would be killed or sent to an unknown location if the ransom was not paid,” he said.
Felix said location data transmitted from Sam Yap's mobile phone pointed to Shwe Kokko, although MHO has yet to independently verify his exact location.
Meanwhile, MHO secretary-general Datuk Hishammuddin Hashim said the organisation would refer Sio Poh's disappearance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra) and the relevant authorities in Laos to assist in tracing him.
He added that MHO would also work with its contacts in Shwe Kokko to locate Sam Yap and facilitate efforts to bring him home safely.
“We hope Wisma Putra and the relevant embassies will cooperate because these two families urgently need assistance to find their children.
“Once they are located, we can then determine the next course of action,” he said. - July 17, 2026
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