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Search still on for missing Orang Asli girl in Perak forests

Search still on for missing Orang Asli girl in Perak forests
Search still on for missing Orang Asli girl in Perak forests

The search for a missing nine-year-old Orang Asli girl continues in the forests around Selaor, east of the Temenggor Forest Reserve in Perak - five days after her disappearance last Thursday (Jan 13).

Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) founder Colin Nicholas told Malaysiakini that another search party was sent out this morning after previous groups were unsuccessful.

“Ayeng (or Kamilia Anap, as she is named in her birth certificate) was part of a small rattan-gathering team led by her grandfather on Thursday morning.

“The 11-member team were returning to the village, and were on the hillock overlooking the settlement, when she decided to remain behind or slow down.

“The village was already within sight and the last point where she was seen would have been a familiar location for her.

“It was here that the group made a clearing to have community events (like the celebration of World Indigenous Peoples' Day in August 2021),” said COAC in a Facebook post yesterday.

According to her uncle, Langan Ateng, Ayeng suffers from a hearing problem and has a mental health illness.

Following Ayeng's failure to return home, a group search was immediately conducted on the evening of her disappearance.

“When this was unsuccessful, the rest of the community was informed and another search was conducted throughout the night by the villagers,” said COAC in the same post.

A missing person report was made on Friday (Jan 14) and another search party was sent out to find Ayeng.

This search party included personnel from the Fire & Rescue Dept, police, Orang Asli Development Dept (Jakoa), Religious Dept, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and community members from Selaor and Jambatan Dua villages.

According to COAC, 30 personnel from the Senoi Praaq - the Orang Asli wing of the General Operations Force (PGA) were expected to join the search.