20-year-old woman found in Cambodia returns to S’pore safely, family ‘saddened’ by online speculation
The family of 20-year-old Siti Aishah Siregar Sahat Siregar, who was found safe in Cambodia, has shared that she has returned home to Singapore and addressed online speculation surrounding the case.
On behalf of the family, Aishah’s brother, Muhammad Syafiq Siregar, issued a statement on his Facebook account on Aug 2. In it, he also revealed that their father’s social media accounts had been suspended.
Brother wrote statement to address online speculation
Syafiq wrote that Aishah had returned home safely.
While the family was “deeply relieved” that Aishah had been found safe, he said they were also “saddened by the speculation and negative comments” directed at them during the ordeal.
Acknowledging that Aishah had shared that she felt restricted and stressed, he said the family takes her feelings seriously and “will listen, understand her experience and address these concerns privately and respectfully as a family.”
Since Aishah’s case gained widespread attention online, netizens have scrutinised her body language and facial expressions, with many describing the family’s situation as “shady” and “not right”.
Syafiq described the ordeal as an “incredibly distressing time” for the family, especially for Aishah’s mother, who had seen her daughter every day for the past 20 years before suddenly losing contact with her.
He said that after Aishah went missing without providing any updates on her whereabouts, the family could only “think of the worst”.
“I hope you can understand the fear and desperation our family felt,” he wrote.
Syafiq also sought to clarify online claims that the family had access to Aishah’s personal accounts.
He said no one in the family had access to her accounts while she was contactable. It was only after they lost contact with her that they took the “necessary steps to review the information available to us, solely to locate her and ensure her safety.”
He also refuted claims that their parents fetched Aishah from school every day, saying that whenever they did, it was “occasional and always voluntary”.
“She was never forced or compelled to do so,” he said.
He added that a letter that Aishah had written was submitted to the police “when the initial police report was lodged”.
“Those who know us as a family understand the close bond and care we have always shared,” said Syafiq.
Father’s social media accounts suspended
Syafiq added that their father was “extremely grateful” for the support he had received but was unable to comment further as his social media accounts had been suspended for “unknown reasons”.
Aishah’s father, Sahat Siregar, had appealed for help in a Facebook post on July 20 after the family lost contact with her. The post has since been taken down.
In the statement, Syafiq also thanked the Cambodian authorities for working with the Singapore Government to help locate Aishah and ensure her safe return. He added that the family sincerely apologised for everything that had happened.
“Although not all their efforts were visible to the public, our family deeply appreciates the time, coordination, care, and urgency demonstrated throughout this difficult period,” he wrote.
Syafiq said the family was also aware that certain organisations had “claimed responsibility for finding Aishah”. He described those claims as inaccurate and asked that “no individual or organisation misrepresent their involvement in this matter”.
“Any official updates regarding her situation should come directly from our family or the relevant authorities,” he wrote.
The family also requested the public “not to make further assumptions of direct hurtful comments” towards Aishah or the family.
“Our love for our sister is why we will try our hardest to ensure her safety and well-being,” Syafiq wrote.
Left on her own and went to Cambodia to work as English teacher
Days after Aishah’s father appealed online for help in finding his missing daughter, Cambodian authorities located Aishah at TK Avenue in Phnom Penh’s Toul Kork district.
In a short video posted by The Phnom Penh Post on Facebook on Aug 1, Aishah said she had travelled to Cambodia voluntarily with plans to become an English teacher.
Aishah said she had found her living situation in Singapore “stressful” and wanted to forge her own path.
“That is why... I decided to leave on my own and come to Cambodia (to work) as an English teacher,” she said.
She added that the decision was “entirely (her) choice” and denied that she had been coerced, trafficked or scammed into travelling overseas.
“I have not been involved in, or forced to take part in, any scam or criminal activities,” she said at the end of the video, before nodding to the person behind the camera.
Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Touch Sokhak said there was no indication she had been unlawfully detained or kidnapped. He added that Aishah told officials she had travelled to Cambodia while under emotional stress, switched off her phone to avoid contact with her family, and later contacted the authorities after learning she had been reported missing.
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