Perak to send rep to Si Chuan

IPOH: There is nothing worse than not knowing the fate of your loved ones.
Leong Sai Wai, a 32-year-old jockey, has been desperately trying to contact his grandmother and aunt since Monday's earthquake shook Sichuan province in China.

He can only hope that Louie Wai Lam, 90, and Tan Saw Im, who is in her 50s, are safe.

"There is no news," he said at a press conference organised by state Higher Education, Science, Technology and Communications Committee chairman Su Keong Siong yesterday.

Leong said the two women were in good health and would frequently go on holidays.
They have visited China several times. On their latest trip, they joined the tour organised by Ipoh Golden Dragon Tours Sdn Bhd. They were accompanied by another friend, he said.

Louie and Tan are among 26 Malaysian tourists who are unaccounted for following the earthquake.

Su said the group of mostly women aged between 60 and 90 left for the nine-day tour on May 8. They were supposed to be back in Kuala Lumpur today, he added.

Earlier, it was reported that the tour agency had contacted the Malaysian consulate in Kunming to help locate the group.

The group's last known location was at Maoxian, about 30km from the quake's epicentre.

Expressing the concern of the state government, Su announced that 41-year-old businessman Lee Choon Kiet would be going to Sichuan as the state government's representative to gather information on the tourists.

He said he was informed by Consul-General Ayauf Bachi that airlifts would begin this morning to help those in Maoxian.

The area's basic infrastructure has been destroyed, communications are down and roads have been rendered inaccessible by the earthquake.

Su said family members could contact the state government or him at 012-5280600.

Lee, who is fluent in Mandarin and a frequent visitor to China, said he would try to reach Chengdu or Kunming to look for news of the group.

Lee volunteered to be the state government representative yesterday after finding out that a family member of a close friend was also part of the tour group. NST Online