« The Gatekeeper | Home | The Serpent »
Mersing Boat Tragedies
By Peace | October 1, 2011
Mersing boat accident: two Singaporeans missing
September 27, 2011 – 4:50pm
By: The Straits Times
A search-and-rescue mission is underway to look for two Singaporeans who have gone missing after a boat capsized off Mersing, Malaysia on Monday. The fishing trawler with nine people on board, including seven Singaporeans, had capsized after the boat was hit by another vessel. Five Singaporeans and two Malaysians have been rescued according to a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency official on Tuesday. The Straits Times reported that the trawler had been out on a fishing trip since Saturday.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it is aware of the ‘unfortunate accident’. She added: ‘Representatives from the Consulate-General in Johor Baru are on the ground to provide the necessary assistance to the survivors of the accident.’
One of the missing people, a man, is believed to have gone to Mersing on a fishing trip.
In response to media queries on the boat incident in Mersing, Johor, the MFA Spokesman said: “The Singaporeans rescued from the boat have returned safely to Singapore. Search and rescue operations are currently on-going for the remaining two missing Singaporeans from the same boat. Our officers from our Consulate-General in Johor Bahru are on the ground in Kuala Sedeli working closely with the Malaysian authorities and rendering assistance to the next of kin of the missing Singaporeans. We have also offered the Malaysian authorities our assistance in their search and rescue efforts, and have sought the assistance of the Indonesian authorities on this matter.”
A similar incident occurred in Mersing last year. Five Singaporeans died after an overloaded boat capsized.
It was carrying more than double the number of allowed passengers and did not have enough life jackets.
Waiting for a miracle
September 28, 2011 – 9:35pm
By: Bryna Sim
Like Mrs Alison Peck, she too is waiting for a miracle. Miss Violy Adolfo and Mr Tan Ah Juan’s love was a simple, but deep. Her long-time boyfriend Tan Ah Juan, 55, is still missing at sea, but Miss Violy Adolfo, 52, has not given up hope. Yesterday marked her third day of waiting for news of Mr Tan. Miss Adolfo only perked up when the subject turned to their courtship and relationship. They met in 1998 while she was waiting for a taxi outside Lucky Plaza.
He wanted MC if he couldn’t get leave
Missing man was firm about trip even though girlfriend was against it. -TNP
Fri, Sep 30, 2011
The New Paper
She told him not to go, but he would not listen. Miss Violy Adolfo, 52, a Filipina, is now worried sick as her long-time boyfriend is missing and feared drowned. She said: “I’m preparing myself for the worst, so that it will not be so painful. But I’m also hoping he’s still alive, that someone helped him and he’s safe somewhere.”
Her boyfriend, Mr Tan Ah Juan, 55, a deliveryman, is one of the two men missing at sea.
The other is Mr Keith Peck Zhi Yi, 31.
When The New Paper met Miss Adolfo at the Maritime Enforcement Agency office in Tanjung Sedili District in Johor yesterday afternoon, she was tired and listless, having held vigil for her missing partner since Monday evening. Miss Adolfo and Mr Tan have lived together for the past 12 years in a three-room flat in Ghim Moh. Her hand held a packet of tissues, and she occasionally walked towards the jetty and glanced at the horizon, as if willing Mr Tan to come back soon. Recalling the events that led up to his disappearance, Miss Adolfo said Mr Tan, who goes fishing about once a month, told her about this trip a week ago. “I told him not to go because I sensed something bad would happen,” she said. But Mr Tan wouldn’t budge.
He had paid a RM500 (S$200) deposit, and nothing would shake his resolve to go on the trip with his regular group of fishing buddies. “He even told me that if his boss did not let him take leave on Friday, he would take an MC (medical leave) so that he could go on the trip,” she said. She gave up trying to dissuade him on Wednesday night. Miss Adolfo said the last time she saw him was on Thursday night when they had dinner together at IMM shopping centre near Mr Tan’s workplace.
Before Mr Tan left the flat at 4am on Friday morning, he told Miss Adolfo: “Wait for me.”
She said: “I wanted to go out on Sunday night, but he told me he’d be back by 3pm on Sunday afternoon and wanted me to wait for him. So I did. ”She has never joined Mr Tan on his fishing trips because she doesn’t like fishing and was afraid of getting seasick. At 3pm on Sunday, there was no sign of Mr Tan. She called and texted him repeatedly, but there was no answer. “All the way from 3pm to 10pm, I called him more than 100 times and sent him many SMSes,” she said. At first, she tried not to think that something bad had happened. Maybe he was just late, and would be home by midnight. But midnight came and went. Miss Adolfo ended up not sleeping a wink.
On Monday morning, she called Mr Tan’s sister and asked her to check with his workplace. “I was afraid to call them myself. If they told me something bad had happened to him, I didn’t think I could take it,” Miss Adolfo said. Mr Tan’s sister found out about the tragedy from his bosses and then informed Miss Adolfo.
By 7pm on Monday, the two women and Mr Tan’s two younger brothers were at the Maritime Enforcement Agency office in Tanjung Sedili. After waiting for updates on the search-and-rescue operations, they were put up at a resort a 30-minute drive away. At 7am yesterday, they were back at the office. As the rescue teams searched the seas off Pulau Aur for Mr Tan and Mr Peck, Miss Adolfo and the siblings sat outside the office in silence.
Said one of Mr Tan’s brothers, Mr Tan Beng Choon, 53: “We’re just waiting.
“Are we hopeful? It’s hard to say.”
Topics: animals, Family, home, Internet, Job, Nature, Singapore, spiritual, View All | 1 Comment »
October 1st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
[...] 24.A Facebook community page, called the Save Keith Peck Zhi Yi Campaign, was set up yesterday to spread the word of Mr Peck’s plight and has since garnered more than 500 “Likes”. Viewed: 1 [...]