Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Central Youth secretary Milton Foo during a press conference at SUPP headquarters March 14, 2022. — Borneo Post pic
KUCHING, March 14 — Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Central Youth secretary Milton Foo has urged the public to refrain from speculating on the alleged murder of four-year-old Eric Chang Wei Jie.
Foo said while he understood that there might be strong feelings of anxiety, sadness and even anger as the case had unfolded, the public should remain calm.
“I urge members of the public not to make wild allegations without any basis on the case. Let the Royal Malaysia Police do their investigation thoroughly and professionally,” said Foo during a press conference at SUPP headquarters at Jalan Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui today.
Foo hoped that justice will be done for Eric and that those guilty will be prosecuted in court.
“We wish accord our utmost gratitude to the enforcement agencies for the investigations done for the past few days and the ongoing search at the river at Muara Tebas, including Royal Malaysia Police Kuching headquarters and Bintawa station, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Marine Police, and Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba),” said Foo.
Kapitan Chung Chong Chong from Taman Riverview, Bintawa, who was also at the press conference, said the local Village Security and Development Committee (JKKK) had immediately conducted a search for the missing boy on March 7 (Monday) after they received the news at about 9.30pm.
Chung said about 15 of their committee members participated in the search for the missing boy in the vicinities of Taman Riverview, Bintawa Village and Bintawa Industrial zone.
“Our search ended at about 12am and we worked closely with the Bintawa police station. Unfortunately, no trace of the missing-boy was detected that night,” said Chung.
Yesterday, Kuching district police chief ACP Ahsmon Bajah in a press statement said Eric is most likely to have been murdered and his body dumped into the Sarawak River at Muara Tebas here.
He also said police have reclassified the case from Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001 to Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
“Two of the suspects, the caretaker and her husband, will be further remanded to assist in the investigation,” he added.
The caretaker, who was arrested on March 9, purportedly confessed to police on yesterday that she knew what had happened to Eric.
She and her husband were then brought by police to the Muara Tebas jetty where the child’s body is believed to have been dumped.
Eric’s mother had lodged a report on March 7 at the Bintawa police station at 7.42pm, claiming she discovered her child missing on the same day at 9am.
On March 11, the Kuching police said four suspects comprising Eric’s parents, the caretaker and her husband were arrested in connection with the boy’s disappearance and were being investigated under Section 31(1) of the Child Act for ill-treatment, neglect, abandonment or exposure of children.
The four were brought to the Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, where a remand order until March 16 was approved for police investigations.
It was also revealed by police that all four suspects tested positive for drugs and had a total of 17 criminal records to their names for drug-related offences, property crimes and commercial crimes. — Borneo Post