Malaysians raise 83,000 Baht to help Malaysian woman, her granny stranded in Bangkok

By Linda Khoo

BANGKOK, Aug 7 -- Donations have been pouring in from fellow Malaysians residing in Thailand to help a Malaysian woman and her 71-year-old grandmother stranded in the kingdom for about five months.

This followed the closure of the Thailand-Malaysia border and travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, in less than three days, Kelab Malaysia of Thailand (KMT), an official club for Malaysians living in Thailand, under the patronage of the Malaysian Embassy here, raised 83,000 baht (RM11,000) to help Yee Hueih Yan, 26, and her grandmother, Goh Khar Kee from Kuala Lumpur.

Yee and Goh felt relief as KMT has rented for them, a hotel room in Ratchada, here, and secured a flight for them to fly home on Aug 12.

“I am just so touched and grateful for the help from generous Malaysians here to assist us. Thank you so much for helping us,” she said when met today.

Yee, a freelance translator, had travelled to Bangkok with Goh on Feb 16, for a translation job for tourist groups here.

Yee, who has been staying with Goh since her parents divorced, said she decided to bring along her grandmother, who suffered from cataracts, as no one would take care of her when she was abroad.

However, they were stranded when the Thai-Malaysia border was closed since March 18 and there have been limited flight slots to travel home.

“I contacted the Malaysian Embassy here but due to the high air fares, we decided to stay and hoped the situation would improve,” she said.

Since the border closure, Yee and her grandmother had been renting a room in Ratchada at about 2,500 baht per month from March to July.

“In between, I continued to do translation work to pay the rental and daily expenses. However, I had run out of money to stay at the place. So, we moved out and shared a rented room with a Malaysian family nearby.

“A friend suggested me to contact KMT to seek help,” she said.

Today, KMT vice-president, Jeffrey Soh helped Yee and her grandmother move to a hotel and handed some cash to the duo for their daily expenses.

Meanwhile, KMT president, Datuk Bobby Tai thanked its members and fellow Malaysians for their donations to Yee and her grandmother.

“Although we cannot vouch for the authenticity of their plight, it is nevertheless a good deed to help one another in time of need.

“For those who have donated money, rest be assured that the committee members who took it upon themselves to coordinate the help mission, will do their best to ensure your money is not misused,” he said.

-- BERNAMA