Compiled by TEH ATHIRA YUSOF, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
SALON and cafe owner Arina Mustafa told Harian Metro that she is finally reunited with her brother Muhammad Alif Shafwan after 17 years of not seeing each other.
Arina, 39, said her siblings were separated from their family and relatives after their mother Tuan Syarifah Aminah Syed Abdullah died in an accident 500m away from their home.
“At that time, my brother was only three years old and I was 22. My brother and younger sister Anis Azati (now 18), were taken in by a relative from my stepfather’s side after my mother died.
“When Muhammad Alif was 11, he was taken in by Abah (stepfather) but I was not aware of it as we were no longer in contact.
“Previously, I came across Abah but he did not mention anything about my siblings even though we live in the same district. Maybe it’s because Abah is old and his memory is not that good,” she said.
Two days before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Arina met her stepfather again at a hardware store and was told that her brother had visited their late mother’s grave.
From that information, Arina decided to visit her stepfather during Hari Raya and was informed that Muhammad Alif was working at a cafe just minutes from her house.
“I went to the cafe and saw him. I cried because I couldn’t believe that I finally met him.
“It was surreal because I have been to the cafe several times and my brother even visited my cafe to buy food but we did not recognise each other,” she added.
Arina said Muhammad Alif thought he was the eldest of two siblings and was not aware he had older siblings until the encounter.
Arina added that she is planning to meet Anis soon and have a complete reunion.> An eight-year-old boy who fell asleep while being locked in a car with the engine running for 20 minutes was rescued by firefighters in Taman Lagenda, Melaka on Thursday.
Melaka Tengah Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Mohd Ismail Harun told Berita Harian the department received an emergency call at 2.56pm from the victim’s mother.
Mohd Ismail said a team of nine personnel was dispatched to the location to rescue the victim.
He said the firefighters used a special tool, the spacer kit, to open the door within five minutes.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
