But on Sept 15, the parents had explained at a press conference at the Suhakam (Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) office in Kuala Lumpur that the seven children had gone missing after they could not find their older siblings in the boarding school.
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Sasa and the six children had reportedly fled their school hostel and run into the nearby jungle on August 23, fearing punishment after they were caught swimming in a nearby river without permission. Two other students who died had yet to be identified.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim said police would now focus the search at Sungai Perias and deploy divers there.
The command centre here at S. K. Tohoi is a buzz of activity as search parties zero in on a 1 sq km area situated in the Balah forest reserve.
A part of a child’s skull and rib bones were found about 500m from the site where Sasa’s body was found. The identity, however, has yet to be identified. “However, she couldn’t recognise the clothes that had been found near the body because they had become discoloured”, he said here.
On Wednesday, the SAR team had also found a decomposed body of a girl in the river, who was later identified as eight-year-old Sasa Sobrie.
“Welfare is one thing but the fact that we were not informed of the latest updates has angered us”, Mrs Nora Tegeu, 39, mother of Ika Ayel, whose body was found by search and rescue (SAR) personnel on Friday (Oct 9), said.
“My heart just sank when I saw the earrings”, said Ms Amek, as quoted by the New Straits Times newspaper on Thursday.
Ateh Ada, 31, said her daughter, Isni Dalilah Izo, seven, would constantly ask about her classmate, Juvina David, whom she refers to with the nickname “Abong”.
“Those responsible for causing the case of the missing seven Orang Asli children, with five dead, in Gua Musang should be suspended or even charged for the crime of negligence”, he said in a statement today.
Dendi said the incident was a puzzle to the orang asli because they themselves were skilful in jungle survival and had scoured the whole area but could not find any trace of the children in their search.
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Thinking that they had made the journey home for the weekend, the younger children then chose to walk home as well.
