Missing Fishermen: Son's Prawn Dish Becomes Family's Last Memory - Mother

BATU PAHAT, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- The dish of prawns he caught and fried himself, for lunch with his family last Friday, has become the final cherished memory of fisherman Mohd Saiful Azli Ahmad, 45, before he was reported missing while catching prawns later that day, according to his mother Khatijah Rahindi.

Khatijah, 74, said that her late son, whose body was found this morning, had a deep fondness for preparing prawns in various dishes, and often took pride in cooking for the family. She said those simple meals, lovingly prepared by the eldest of her three children, would be dearly missed by the family.

According to Khatijah, she never imagined that day would be their final meeting, before Mohd Saiful went out to check the prawn traps he had set in the waters of Sungai Dulang.

She said her son, who was usually cheerful and affectionate towards relatives, appeared unusually quiet that day. However, the family did not suspect anything amiss until he failed to return home as he normally would.

“After that, we made every effort, including reciting Surah Yasin and praying together as a family until midnight. In the end, we are grateful that my son’s body was found,” she said when met at the Forensic Department of Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital (HSNI), here, today.

Meanwhile, the victim’s sister, Nur Syaza Lina Ahmad, 40, said that the only words she was able to utter were “Allahuakbar” when her brother’s body was found in Sungai Sarang Burung, at 9.16 am today, about two kilometres from the location where he was reported missing.

She said she was present during the identification process, and had been visiting the search area daily since last Saturday, to obtain updates on the search and rescue operation for her brother, as well as another fisherman who was also reported missing.

“I am grateful that my brother was found, as various challenges were faced throughout the search operations since last Saturday. At one point, I feared that he might have drifted to another location and become difficult to locate,” she said.

Nur Syaza Lina added that her late brother’s remains were expected to be laid to rest at the Sungai Tongkang Muslim Cemetery, next to the grave of their late grandmother, by tonight at the latest.

Meanwhile, Batu Pahat police chief ACP Shahrulanuar Mushaddat Abdullah Sani said that efforts to locate another fisherman, Mohd Fadzli Misran, 41, are still being actively carried out by various rescue agencies.

-- BERNAMA