Wife concealed husband’s kidnap from children
KUALA LUMPUR: The wife of Malaysian sailor Tayudin Anjut who was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants narrated how she had tried her level best to conceal the incident from the couple’s two children.
Rustia Sultan, 47, said this was because she did not the children to be emotionally disturbed, especially Nurerin Farisha, 13, who sat for the first day of UPSR trial - a day after the kidnapping occurred.
She also tried to conceal the incident from her younger child, Mohd Fahirin, five, by telling him that their father had gone to catch fish and was not back, whenever she was asked for his whereabouts.
“Normally, he would return after a week of fishing. So, when he still had not returned home after some time, the children’s questions (on their father’s whereabouts and what had transpired), came more often.
“Still, I did not tell them what had happened, I only told them their father went out to catch fish...and that he would be back,” she said.
Rustia was describing the harrowing experience she underwent after Tayudin and his four friends who were the crew of the tugboat, ‘Serudong Tiga’ were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf militant group in the waters off Dent Haven in Lahad Datu, Sabah on July 18 last year.
However, despite her efforts, news of the kidnap reached her children’s ears about a month later after teachers in the school told all students to perform the ‘hajat’ prayers for the safe return of the kidnap victims.
“After the ‘hajat’ prayers, (Mohd) Fahirin came home and sought confirmation from me if what his kindergarten teacher said about his father being kidnapped was true. After that, I divulged to them what actually happened,” said Rustia.
She said her husband had contacted her several times via telephone during the period.
But each time too, she was worried because the Abu Sayyaf members would also threaten to behead him and the other captives.
“Thank God, I am grateful over the government’s efforts to rescue them and bring them home,” she told reporters at the Prime Minister’s residence in Jalan Duta,”.
Tayudin, 45, and another colleague, Abdul Rahim Summas, 63, who were rescued by the Philippine security forces on Thursday, arrived at the KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on Sunday night.
The two victims met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in Jalan Duta here to personally thank him for the government’s efforts to help free them, including three others who were freed last night.
During the meeting, Tayudin and Abdul Rahim revealed what they had to endure for eight months in captivity, having been tormented as slaves and forced to cook for the members of the group and only given scraps of food, while being consistently threatened with decapitation.
Abdul Rahim was received by his second child, Rasniyati, 40, and several other family members.
Both victims now face numerous health problems, including difficulty in walking because they were often force-marched from one place to another in the heat of the night in the jungle, and eye problems as they were often blindfolded.
They also suffer from nonfunctioning bladders after being forced to drink sea water.
They will be treated at the Selayang Specialist Centre before being allowed to return to Sabah under supervision of the 1Malaysia Putera Club.
Meanwhile, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) Commander Datuk Wan Abd Bari Wan Abd Khalid said the Malaysian authorities were in the process of bringing home three more of Tayudin and Abdul Rahim’s colleagues who were rescued by the security forces of the Philippines in an operation in Sulu. The three victims are Jumadil Rahim, 24, Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 33, and Fandy Bakran, 27. - Bernama