Skeletal remains of another child found

Even though I have two older children who are living in a hostel in Gua Musang, they are 13 and 14 years old.

The search team also found two female students, Miksudiar Alui, 11, and Norieen Yaakob, 10, in weak condition and hungry.

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.

The seven Orang Asli children, comprising six girls and a boy aged between seven and 11, were believed to have lost their way in the Tohoi forest reserve in remote Kelantan after running away from the Pos Tohoi village school on August 23.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has expressed his sadness over the deaths of several orang asli pupils of SK Tohoi.

Even as the two were found alive, the episode continued to confound the orang asli community.

“I knew that it was Sasa based on a birthmark and the earring that she wore”, he said.

The search continues for the other missing children – Juvina David, 7, Linda Rosli, 8 and Haikal Yaakob, 8.

Gua Musang Hospital said a post-mortem found that the girl died one to two weeks ago.

“Moreover, they didn’t have any lighter or parang with them and the place where they were found did not have any fruits that they could eat”, he said.

Kelantan Orang Asli Youth Network chairman Dendi Johari with a copy of the letter sent to parents of the missing children, warning about their absenteeism.

Search parties are intensifying their efforts to find the remaining children within the riverbanks of Sungai Perias, a tributary of Sungai Nenggiri.

Mazlan was quoted as saying by Bernama that the location where the bodies and survivors were found was still within the search area and the children were probably afraid and hid themselves from the rescue team.

The seven children were believed to have fled into the forest to avoid punishment from swimming in a nearby river without permission.

“They are primary school children and live in the boarding school”.

But while the older siblings were in hiding, the seven thought they had gone home and made a decision to walk home for the weekend, without informing the school authorities.