Family of survivor expresses gratitude
Published on: Thursday, May 19, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: After going through a roller coaster of emotions over the past 10 days, lost-at-sea survivor Tommy Lam's family feel indebted to the Malaysian authorities and all those who joined the search and rescue efforts.Tommy's brother Alan Lam Wai Lung said while the family had never lost hope of finding him alive, they nevertheless went through several stages of intense emotions, from panic to loss and finally great relief."We are so grateful for the people who were constantly encouraging us and kept on going to find him alive.
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We feel that they also felt our sadness and joy along the journey," said Alan.He said the first few days were when panic had set in as the family scrambled to pool resources and figured out how they could maximise Tommy's chances of being saved."We were lost at first, trying to figure out what to do. Eventually we managed to get more help and then as the days passed and there was little sign of Tommy, we began imagining all kinds of scenarios," he said.When the family was finally told that Tommy and the other three survivors had been found on a Vietnamese fishing trawler, they went through a barrage of emotions, including wife Carine Ng, who collapsed to the ground.
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Alan said that despite the trauma, the ordeal had bonded the family, most of whom were staying in different countries and cities, and brought everyone closer together. He said the authorities who had launched the search and rescue effort ― a multi-agency effort which include the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the Malaysian Navy, the Malaysia Air Force, marine police, Fire and Rescue Services Department, the Civil Defence Department and the police volunteer reserve corps ― had been instrumental in keeping the family's hopes alive."They spared no expenses, deploying aircrafts and many sea vessels to look for him.
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"We also had so much support from other people ― the Kudat Fishermen Association had deployed as many boats as they could, even ceasing operations to help us search for Tommy. Sabah Air, Sabah Flying Club and Layang Layang Aerospace had also deployed aircrafts to do an aerial search for us."We felt that everyone was as worried about him as we were. They were also as happy as we were when they were found," he said.Tommy, the eldest of five siblings and father of two, had previously said that his family has spent up to RM300,000 during the period, from chartered air surveillance, to a reward for anyone who can find their boat.Tommy, 44, David Hernandes Gasulla, 29, Martha Miguel, 30 and Armella Ali Hassan, 23 had gone missing at sea after a day trip to Balambangan island ― about a two-hour boat ride away from Lam's resort on Tanjung Simpang Mengayau ― went awry.Having spent some nine days adrift, they were rescued by squid-fishing Vietnamese trawlers and were sent home after 11 days of being incommunicado.Tommy's mother, Melody Sum, who had flown in from Singapore when she heard Tommy was missing, was overwhelmed by the community's support.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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