Compiled by C. ARUNO, BENJAMIN LEE and R. ARAVINTHAN
FROM rotten floorboards to leaky roofs, the ancestral home of a family in Temangan, Kelantan, which housed three generations for nearly 40 years, is on the brink of collapse, reported Harian Metro.
Zainuddin Che Nik, 45, said their once-beloved home was now not only in a state of disrepair but also posing serious potential safety risks for his family.
“The living room can no longer be used because many of the floorboards are rotten and full of holes, but due to financial constraints, we are unable to replace them.
“Many parts of the walls also have holes where venomous animals such as cobras enter occasionally, especially at night, causing me to worry about our safety.
“During storms and heavy rain, the roof in the kitchen area also leaks,” he said.
Zainuddin, who currently lives with his wife, their two children, his brother and their 82-year-old mother, said the home’s condition is so dilapidated that the kitchen is the only safe space for them to sleep for the past two years.
He hopes to repair his home, but due to his low income from doing odd jobs in the village, he barely has enough to cover basic necessities and school expenses for his children.
He also has to care for his bedridden mother, who suffered from a stroke in the past and has diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as vision and hearing problems.
> A couple is set to see their dream of having their son live a normal life come true as three-year-old Muhammad Arash Zulkarnain prepares for a liver transplant in China, reported Kosmo!.
Thanks to donations from the public, the daily reported that the couple, whose child suffered severe liver damage caused by the rare disease Langerhans cell histiocytosis, had managed to raise the RM185,000 needed for the surgery.
The daily had showcased the tragic life of Muhammad Arash’s story in its paper last December, which played a role in helping raise the necessary funds to give the child a better chance at life.
The child’s mother Nor Syatirah Zairenor, 31, who will be the liver donor, said she and her husband Mohamad Fariz Najdi Mahamad Subri, 31, and a volunteer, will accompany their child to the Renji Hospital in Shanghai for the challenging procedure.
“Thankfully, the raised funds reached an unexpected high of RM212,106.75, and we are scheduled to depart for China on Jan 21 for the operation.”
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.
