SABAK BERNAM: Life, as Beh Su Lee knows, will not be the same, more so with Chinese New Year being around the corner.
The mother of four victims who died in the Batang Kali landslide tragedy on Dec 16 could hardly keep her eyes closed and loses her appetite each time she recalls the tragedy.
The tragedy not only took the life of her eldest daughter Gain Choo Yin, 35 but also Choo Yin's husband, Wong Kim Yap, 34, and two of their children, Wong Hao Yee, 6 and Wong Zi Hang, 1.
She is heartbroken that four members of her beloved family were killed in the tragedy and admits that she could still feel their presence to this day.
"In fact, this year's Chinese New Year celebration, which should have been celebrated happily, has instead turned gloomy after their passing," Beh said.
She added that her daughter used to stay with her after giving birth to her eldest son, Hao Yee, six years ago, while her husband worked as a school canteen cook in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur.
"Every week, my son-in-law would come to my house and the last time they went for a holiday was in Kuala Lumpur before going for the camping trip in Batang Kali," she said as she held back tears.
Beh was met during a handing over of benefits to the next-of-kin by Perkeso at her house in Taman Mutiara, here, today.
The benefits were handed over by Perkeso Tanjong Karang manager Roseman Muhamad Damanhuri and witnessed by Sabak assemblyman Ahmad Mustain Othman.
Recalling what transpired, Beh said she felt uneasy after one of her children informed her that Choo Yin had gone on the camping trip.
"Not long after that, I received news of the landslide through media outlets and Facebook.
"I tried calling and sending a message to her via WhatsApp but it went unanswered. I suspected that something had happened to her before her son-in-law's employer informed me that she was there at the time of the incident.
"My heart shattered into pieces upon hearing that all four of them were among the casualties," she said.
The tragedy has left a lasting impact on Beh as she had taken care of both of her grandchildren from their birth.
"It brings tears as I still recall them both playing on the front lawn of my house.
What Beh could not forget are Hao Yee's words that keep replaying in her mind: "Grandma is the one who always sends me to school and waits for me to enter the class ... only then grandma can go back.
"I told him that I love him. Now, he and the rest of his family have gone forever," she said.
Meanwhile, Roseman said each victim's family or next of kin would receive a one-off funeral service benefit of RM2,000 and a survivors' pension of RM295.24 every month.
"The late Choo Yin is eligible to receive a survivors' pension after fulfilling the criteria after she began contributing to Perkeso in 2010.
"However, she was no longer working since 2015, but checks showed that she is eligible to receive the aid," he said.