Brother of missing S'pore woman found in Cambodia releases statement, apologises for everything

The brother of a 20-year-old Singaporean woman who was recently reported missing in Cambodia shared that she is safely back in Singapore and has apologised on behalf of his family.

In a statement on his Facebook, Aishah Siregar's brother, Syafiq Siregar, thanked all who worked to help locate Aishah and ensure her return to the family.

Syafiq then went on to apologise for "everything that has happened".

Incredibly distressing time

"This has been an incredibly distressing time for our family, especially for a mother who suddenly lost contact with her daughter after seeing her child every day for the past 20 years," he wrote.

Syafiq went on to apologise on behalf of his family for any words that were taken out of context due to the nature of the incident.

He also shared that his father's social media accounts had been suspended for an unknown reason.

"Our intentions were never to hurt the feelings of the people of Cambodia, but only to find our sister and bring her home safely. We are unable to control what the public or media say, report, or speculate," he added, hoping people would understand his family's fear and desperation.

Stress and restricted

When Aishah was found, she had addressed the public through a video statement, saying that she travelled to Cambodia of her own free will and that she had not been scammed or forced.

Aishah said that she had been experiencing stressful living conditions while in Singapore and wanted to find her own path.

"That's why on the 20th of July, I decided to leave on my own and come to Cambodia to work as an English teacher," she said.

Aishah added that the decision to go to Cambodia was "entirely [her] choice" and said she was not forced or scammed.

"I have not been forced to come here. I have not been scammed into coming here. It is entirely up to my own decisions and my own concerns about it," she said.

She also said she has not been involved in or forced to participate in any scamming or criminal activities.

In his statement, Syafiq said that the family acknowledges Aishah's feelings of stress and restriction.

He added that they will take her feelings seriously, listen to them and address the concerns privately as a family.

Clarification

However, he shared that the family is saddened by the speculation and negative comments directed at them regarding certain claims.

He went on to clarify certain claims that have been circulating online and "taken out of context".

When Aishah was first reported missing, Syafiq told Malay media Berita Harian that the family was on their way to pick her up from school at about 5pm when they found that her phone number was no longer contactable and her WhatsApp account was no longer active.

They also found that Aishah's passport was not at home. The police subsequently confirmed that Aishah had already left Singapore via a flight.

When they tried to log into her email, they reportedly found a flight ticket booking to Cambodia and believed that she had flown off to Phnom Penh.

According to CNA, other emails showed that Aishah had transferred hundreds of dollars to an unknown person days before she went missing.

Access to personal account, pick up from school

Syafiq stated in the statement that no one in the family had access to Aishah's personal accounts before her disappearance.

He also clarified that their parents do not pick up Aishah from school every day, explaining that Aishah would be given a ride on occasion, when she requested it or when the parents offered.

As for the letter that Aishah wrote, Syafiq said that it was submitted to the Singapore Police Force when the initial police report was lodged.

"This has been an extremely distressing experience for everyone involved. We respectfully ask the public not to make further assumptions or direct hurtful comments towards Aishah or our family...

As my sister is back on Singapore soil, we ask everyone to give my family and Aishah some room and privacy at this point of time to heal."

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