A 20-year-old Singaporean woman who was reported missing after unexpectedly travelling to Cambodia has been found safe.
Aishah Siregar said in a video released on Saturday, 1 August, that she had gone to Cambodia voluntarily to work as an English teacher.
She denied being forced, scammed or made to participate in any criminal activities.
Her Family Realised She Had Secretly Left Singapore
Aishah was last heard from by her family on Tuesday, 28 July.
Her last message to her mother said she was going to school that morning. According to the family’s helper, she was last seen leaving home wearing a light grey hoodie and grey trousers.
However, when her family prepared to pick her up as usual, they discovered that her WhatsApp and Telegram accounts had been deleted. Her phone line was also no longer contactable.
The family returned home and found that her passport was missing. They subsequently lodged a police report.
After checking her emails, they discovered a flight itinerary showing that she had travelled to Cambodia that afternoon.
Her father, Sahat Siregar, then published an appeal for information on social media on 30 July, saying the family believed that she was in Phnom Penh.
He said the family was deeply worried and appealed to the authorities and members of the public to help bring his daughter home safely.
Money Transfers Raised Fears That She Had Been Scammed
Speaking to CNA, Aishah’s older brother, Syafiq Siregar, said the family also discovered emails showing that she had transferred hundreds of dollars to an unknown person in the days before she disappeared.
The name of the recipient matched that of an online friend whom Aishah had reportedly been gaming with for more than a year.
Although the family knew that she regularly played games with this person, they said they had never seen or spoken to the individual.
The transactions, combined with her secret journey to Cambodia and sudden loss of contact, led the family to fear that she might have been lured there by a scammer.
Their concern was heightened because Cambodia has been associated with large online scam operations, including compounds where trafficked workers have allegedly been forced to conduct scams.
There is, however, no indication from the Cambodian authorities that Aishah was taken to such a compound.
Cambodian Police Found Her in Phnom Penh
On 31 July, the Singapore Police Force confirmed that Aishah had been found safe by the Cambodian National Police.
Singapore police said they had contacted their Cambodian counterparts to obtain more information and provide further assistance where appropriate.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Embassy in Phnom Penh were also providing consular support to her family.
Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said a joint team involving immigration officials and Phnom Penh police located Aishah at TK Avenue in Phnom Penh’s Toul Kork district.
According to Mr Sokhak, Aishah told investigators that she had travelled to Cambodia while experiencing emotional distress and had deliberately turned off her phone to avoid being contacted by her family.
He said Cambodian authorities found no indication, based on their investigation and her account, that she had been kidnapped, unlawfully detained or trafficked.
Aishah reportedly became anxious about her decision after reaching Cambodia and contacted the Cambodian authorities after learning that she had been reported missing.
Aishah Says Going to Cambodia Was “Entirely” Her Choice
In a video, Aishah said she had found her living situation in Singapore stressful and wanted to find her own path.
She said she had gone to Cambodia to work as an English teacher and described the decision as entirely her own.
Aishah also directly denied that she had been tricked or forced into going there.
She added that she had neither participated in nor been compelled to take part in scamming or other criminal activities.
The approximately one-minute video was recorded at the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Headquarters after Cambodian officers located her.
While her family’s initial fears centred on the possibility of a scam or trafficking, the information released by Cambodian authorities so far indicates that Aishah travelled there voluntarily and had intentionally stopped communicating with her family.
