Penan woman seeks help locating missing husband

April 8, 2010, Thursday

MIRI: Penan woman Usun Malin, 26, is appealing for help to locate her husband who went missing under mysterious circumstances more than three months ago in jungles near Loagan Bunut.

PLEASE HELP US: Usun with her daughter Maria.

Usun was in Miri yesterday with one of her children to seek help to locate her 33-year-old husband Emang Moyong together with Ba Selulung headman Jepery Moyong, as well as villagers Selapan Malin and Ajang Kiew.

The group met with lawyer Harrison Ngau, who is Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (Scane) national advisor, at the office of Brimas — a non-governmental organisation.

“We sympathise with the predicament of the family and hope that the relevant authorities and the public come forward to help,” said Harrison.

On behalf of the family, he appealed to the relevant authorities and the public to assist Usun’s family, which has been deprived of the sole breadwinner.

Usun said Emang disappeared last November when he and Selapan were brought out of their settlement centre by an ex-community leader purportedly for a video shoot on the Penan nomadic way of life.

However, according to Selapan, instead of a video shoot, they were brought by the ex-community leader by four-wheel (4WD) drive vehicle to the Loagan Bunut area.

At some point, the two Penan men were said to be abandoned by the ex-community leader and approached by at least 10 men from two vehicles which had been following them.

Fearing for their lives, Selapan said he and Emang then ran into the jungle.

According to Selapan, that was the last time he saw Emang.