PETALING JAYA: After eight years, the families of seven Orang Asli students who went missing from a boarding school in Kelantan have finally received closure with a RM1.41mil settlement from the government.
The settlement comes almost a decade after the incident took place in August 2015, when the seven students of SK Tohoi in Gua Musang ran away from the school hostel and into a nearby forest due to fear of punishment.
An extensive search and rescue operation took place for almost 50 days, resulting in the successful rescue of Norieen Yaakob, then 11, and Miksudiar Aluj, then 12, who were found alive on the riverbank of Sungai Perias on Oct 9. Unfortunately, the remaining five children, including Norieen’s younger brother Haikal, Ika Ayel, Juvina David, Linda Rosli, and Sasa Sobrie, did not survive.
As a result, the six grieving families filed negligence suits against the government in 2018.
The two children were found in a severely malnourished and weakened state.
The first trial for the case was scheduled for a four-day hearing at the Kota Baru High Court from Monday (July 23) to July 27.
Lawyer Siti Kassim mentioned that the RM1.41mil settlement was agreed upon through discussions between government representatives and the families’ lawyers outside of court just before the trial. The settlement includes RM60,000 in legal costs and an additional RM160,000 from insurance companies.
“We have devoted significant time and resources to reach this point, but I am grateful to the team of lawyers and experts who have finally helped the families find some closure,” Siti said in an interview with The Star on Monday.
She added that the RM1.41mil would be divided equally among the families of the six students.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
