Family of missing commando hopes he will be found soon

MELAKA: The brother of Lance Corporal Edrin Daintin, 25, hopes that the search for his brother, who is feared to have drowned while undergoing diving training in the waters of Pulau Undan last Wednesday, will be successful and that he will be found soon.

Andy Daintin, 28, said the family is holding on to the hope that the youngest of ten siblings would be found by the search and rescue operation (SAR), which has entered its fourth day on Friday (Feb 10).

"I received a message about the news of his disappearance on the evening of the incident and was shocked, so I asked my cousin who was also on duty at Kem Iskandar, Mersing to confirm it.

"Our parents are very worried about him, but we as a family still have not given up hope and continue to pray that our brother can be found quickly and safely," he told reporters here on Friday.

Earlier, Andy and his family also met Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari, who inspected the SAR operations at the Anjung Batu Jetty.

Andy, the ninth child in the family, said his younger brother was a good child and cared deeply about their family, who lived in Kampung Tongod, Sabah.

He said he has a very close relationship with Edrin and would call each other when free, adding that the last time they spoke was before he underwent a diving course early January.

Andy said he and three other siblings were temporarily housed at Sungai Udang Camp to follow the development of the case while his parents were back home.

Edrin, an Armed Forces commando, was reported missing on Feb 7 while undergoing diving training at 0.7 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Undan.

The SAR operation, with its forward base in Pulau Besar, involves personnel and assets from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the MAF, the police and the Fire and Rescue Department. – Bernama