LONDON: Malaysian Siti Aishah Wahab, a former follower of a Maoist collective run by Aravindan Balakrishnan's collective since the early 70’s, is adjusting well to life since gaining her freedom.
Aishah, 71, now a social volunteer, was one of the three women who were taken away by police on Oct 23, 2013 from the collective's home in Brixton, where several Malaysians and other nationalities were said to have stayed.
Balakrishnan was yesterday found guilty by a jury of rape, sexual assault, cruelty and false imprisonment, including locking up his own daughter in a London commune for 30 years.
Initially when the police went to the address, two women, one of them Balakrishnan’s daughter, 32, went out and were taken away.
The police later went back to the address to fetch Aishah, who had packed her belongings.
“When she was reunited with the other two, she was so happy. She was anxious too at the same time, not knowing what would happen next,” said Yvonne Hall of the Palm Cove Society, a non-profit organisation based in Leeds.
Gerard Stock, also from of the same organisation, who had been working with the women said Aishah was “an intelligent woman" who had been actively committed to volunteer work and meeting people.
Aishah, said Butler, had received a lot of support.
“There has been a lot of work with Aishah; she is very intelligent. We are always in touch every few days,” he added.
On Aishah having to adapt to life outside, after having spent about 30 years in the collective with limited outside activities, Hall said that it had been very challenging but was optimistic that she could cope with the outside world.
During the course of the trial, the court was told of Aishah who was always doing trips to the laundrette or to the shopping mall once a week.
Aishah did not offer herself to be a witness.
Aishah came to London to study in 1968 and met Balakrishnan, also known as Comrade Bala, during one of his talks in Malaysia Hall.
Since then, she began her involvement in activities organised by the Maoist leader. She lost touch with her relatives, who only knew of her fate after her rescue two years ago.
When she was taken away by the police, amidst a blaze of publicity, her sister, Kamar Mahtum, came to meet her in an attempt to persuade her to return to Malaysia.
It was an emotional reunion in a secret location, arranged by the police as well as the Malaysian High Commission in London.
Aishah was adamant at remaining in the UK, although she did write a note to her relatives back home that she missed them.
Hall and Stock were very confident that Aishah would one day be ready to meet with her relatives again.