By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 10: More than two months after Kuching woman Ellen Ng disappeared following a trip she said was bound for Hong Kong, her family is still waiting for a single confirmed answer — whether she ever reached the destination at all.
The unanswered question was raised publicly today by Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo after Ellen’s father and brother approached him for help, citing prolonged silence and a lack of updates from authorities despite multiple reports having been lodged.
Ellen, 34, was last seen on Nov 8 last year when her father sent her to Kuching International Airport at around 9.30am. She told her family she was travelling to Hong Kong for a week. Given her history of overseas work-related trips, the family did not question her further.
After her departure, however, all attempts to contact her failed. It was only on Nov 10 at about 8.44pm that Ellen called her brother, saying she was in Hong Kong and assuring him that she was safe.
“The family grew increasingly uneasy when Ellen remained unreachable after the call.
“When asked to share her location, she sent an address via Google Maps rather than a live location, and subsequent calls and messages went unanswered,” Foo said during a press conference held at SUPP headquarters here today.
Following this, Ellen’s brother lodged a police report on Nov 13.
Ellen contacted her brother once more on Nov 14 at around 7.16pm, telling him she needed to stay longer, possibly one to two months, and again urged the family not to worry. The phone conversation lasted about eight minutes. There has been no contact since.
“In a place like Hong Kong, claims of poor line connection raised concern for the family,” Foo said, adding that the lack of communication was unusual.
Following the police report, Ellen’s family also lodged an official consular case report with the Sarawak office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Nov 14.
The case was reported by the media in early December, but no further developments have been communicated to the family.
Foo said he contacted the Sarawak office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday and was informed that no updates had been received from their Hong Kong counterparts.
“The first thing we need to establish is whether she actually entered Hong Kong. Immigration records will show whether there was an entry and whether there was an exit.
“If there is no record of entry into Hong Kong, authorities must then trace where Ellen travelled after transiting through Kuala Lumpur.
“This is within our own country so we should be able to ascertain whereabouts of this person,” he pointed out.
While cautioning against speculation, Foo said his priority was to ensure Ellen’s safety and to help locate her before drawing any conclusions about her situation.
He also urged Malaysians travelling overseas to inform their families clearly of their plans and warned against overseas job offers promising high pay, citing increasing cases linked to job scams and human trafficking.
Foo said he would continue to follow up on the case and hopes authorities will be able to provide clearer information on Ellen’s whereabouts before the upcoming Chinese New Year. – DayakDaily
