PETALING JAYA: Time stood still for the Loh family on Dec 16, 2022, when what started as a family trip ended in tragedy after seven-year-old Zech Loh Qi Yi died in a landslide in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor.
“Somebody has to go to jail for this,” Zech’s mother, Tan Ei Ein, told FMT.
“We are not letting this go. We are not letting the government go. Not the landowner, not the camp operator.”
Zech was one of 13 children who died in the landslide at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite. The incident claimed a total of 31 lives and injured 61 others.
Framed pictures of Zech showing off his bright and playful smile can be found all over the couple’s home in Petaling Jaya. All his parents want is to have their little boy back in their arms again.
“I miss him every day. It took me months to reconcile with the fact that he was gone,” Tan said.
She said she was knocked out by the impact of the landslide in a split second, sustaining serious cuts to her face and a broken hip, which left her wheelchair-bound for months.
“Physical injuries are of no concern to me, but emotionally and mentally, we are beyond repair,” she said.
Zech’s father, Loh Teng Shui, said Zech was everything a father could ask for: playful, sweet and smart.
“It will not be the same anymore. It already changed our lives, especially since he was our only son. There’s no healing here. How can you heal from losing someone so dear?”
No closure for survivors, next of kin
As their shock faded, rage, disappointment and grief settled in.
Twelve months on, the couple is still waiting for someone to be held accountable for the deadly landslide.
On Oct 17, a forensics report released by the National Disaster Management Agency revealed that rainfall was the main factor that triggered the landslide.
The report also stated that maintenance work at the slope and road where the landslide occurred was carried out as per schedule, and there was no solid proof it was partially caused by “anthropogenic activities”.
Tan said she and her husband do not accept the results of the report – a sentiment shared by other survivors and victims’ next of kin.
“We are totally disappointed with the government. The lackadaisical attitude with which they treated the Batang Kali tragedy was just shocking.
“There’s no closure for the family. This report is mocking us. There are just so many things they did not address. This is definitely not a natural landslide,” she said.
Tan said the government failed to answer questions such as why the land was developed into a campsite when permission had only been granted for a resort and botanical garden.
She said it was clear to her that the government was trying to “sweep this under the rug”, adding that it was cowardly for the operators to disappear and leave them in the dark.
Report lacking in transparency
Loi Jia Wen, a survivor of the landslide, also slammed the report for its lack of transparency, as there was no government agency they could turn to with their questions during those 10 months of waiting.
“At the very least, they should have given us a way to contact them so they can understand our concerns.
“We have to reach out to the media every time we want to communicate with the government. After they released the report, they should have done a Q&A session,” she told FMT.
She also questioned why no preventive measures were put in place to prevent landslides after the Highland Towers collapse 30 years ago.
On Dec 11, 1993, one of the three blocks of the Highland Towers condominium in Taman Hillview, Ulu Klang, collapsed, taking with it the lives of 48 people.
Twelve months after the tragedy, Loi, who had to run to safety while carrying her young children in her arms, is still very much scarred.
“We saw people being buried alive. The people who were staying at the campsite next to us – they are all gone. Now whenever I see trees outdoors, I wonder if they will fall on me,” she said. - FMT
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