Tuaran: A 51-year-old mother from Tuaran is desperately searching for her 30-year-old son, Lieyco, who she believes is a victim of human trafficking in Myanmar.
Nur, when met at her Kg Bukit Giling home in Tamparuli, said her son initially told the family he was going on vacation to Bangkok in June 2024.
She suspects he hid his true intentions because the family would not have approved if they knew he planned to work abroad, especially after failing to secure employment in Korea previously.
“When he informed us about this, he was still here (Sabah) and we gave permission considering his purpose was for vacation. If he had been honest about wanting to work there (in Thailand), we would not have allowed him to go,” she said. By December 2024, Lieyco admitted to his mother that he was working somewhere, though he did not share details about his job.
Concerned, the family asked him to install the Life360 location-sharing application. The situation took a troubling turn in early January when Lieyco suddenly became unreachable.
His last communication indicated he was in Tachileik, Myanmar. He said he could not return to Sabah and that his family would need to come get him.
“The last time I communicated with my son was in early January, when he said if he could not return to Sabah, he asked us to pick him up in Tachileik,” she said.
The location data showed he had moved from an urban area to a forested site still within Tachileik.
After failed attempts to contact him on Jan 26, Nur lodged a report on March.
Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau has gotten involved after being contacted by Nur.
“Let us pray that this young man will be found and return to his family safely,” he added.
