KUANTAN: The body of Goi Zhan Feng, who reportedly died several months ago and was buried without his Malaysian family's knowledge in Thailand, is expected to be exhumed tomorrow (Wednesday).
Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chon Siang, who is in Bangkok to assist the family, said they have already settled the outstanding hospital bills and obtained the 23-year-old's death certificate.
"Yesterday(Monday), the family settled the hospital bills and lodged a police report at the Mea Sot police station claiming Zhan Feng was allegedly abused before he was registered under a fake identity by the scam syndicate when warded at the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU).
"Since the victim is not a Thai citizen, we applied for the exhumation licence from the Mae Sot municipality office today (Tuesday).
"Once the family secures the licence, the body can be exhumed tomorrow in the presence of administrative officials and family members. The samples will be collected for DNA profiling," he said, adding based on the hospital records, Zhan Feng passed away at the hospital's ICU at about 2am on May 11.
Sim said the next course of action will be decided based on the report provided by the hospital.
It was reported on Sunday, Zhan Feng's parents Goi Chee Kong and his wife Yang Fei Pin had travelled to Thailand on Aug 30 to look for their missing son before learning that Zhan Feng, had allegedly died at a hospital in Mae Sot, near the Thailand-Myanmar border, on May 11.
The hospital claimed they could not trace his family or inform the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok as he was allegedly admitted on April 11 under a fake name.
The hospital informed the family to settle the outstanding bills, before they can be issued with a death certificate to exhume the remains for DNA testing and repatriate the remains to Malaysia.
The family launched a fundraising campaign and collected RM50,000 from generous Malaysians
Meanwhile, Sim said Zhan Feng's family will be only allowed to bring their son's ashes into Malaysia to perform the final rites in Menglembu, Perak.
"Once the DNA procedures have been completed, and the identity has been confirmed then the family will have to cremate him and only bring the ashes back to Malaysia," he said.
Sim said Zhan Feng's parents were certain that the buried body belonged to their son as it was ascertained by the staff at the hospital where he died.
"Zhan Feng's parents brought along some pictures of their son to Bangkok while the hospital also had a picture kept in their records. The only confusion was the different names provided by the family and the one in the hospital records," he said.