‘How I wish it were a prank call’: Father recounts moment he learnt of daughter’s death in Kedah kayaking drowning
by Lim How Pim · Borneo Post OnlineKUCHING (April 6): An incoming call at 9.50pm last Saturday (April 4) turned into a nightmare for the father of Joey Ling, who drowned while kayaking at Pantai Merdeka near Sungai Petani, Kedah.
The call came as a shock to Joey’s father, whose name was not disclosed in a Sin Chew Daily report on Monday.
“It was 9.50pm when a stranger called, asking me if I am Joey’s father, and then telling me that my daughter is gone,” the father was quoted as saying in the report.
He said the devastating news sent shivers through him, and he repeatedly tried to contact his daughter, but his calls went unanswered.
“How I wish it were a prank call,” he wept.
The father recalled trying to call the number back after the caller hung up, but received no response.
Filled with anxiety, he sought confirmation from the police in Perlis, where his daughter had been studying.
As soon as the police confirmed Joey’s death, he sank into despair: “Perlis IPG (Teachers’ Training Institute) never offered a formal notice.”
The father said it was heartwrenching that the institute did not address the matter more appropriately.
He added that he, like everyone else, learnt about the police having discovered Joey’s body at around 7.30pm last Saturday through news reports.
Joey, the third of four siblings, was described as a filial daughter who always did what was right.
“She was very close to us and would call several times a day. Even on the day of the incident, she sent me a voice message just after 6am as a morning greeting,” he said.
He said Joey did inform him about the kayaking activity but he did not worry about her safety since Joey was joining an off-campus programme hosted by Perlis IPG.
“I did not expect it to turn out like this!”
He added that his wife had frequently flown to Perlis, as she found it difficult being so far away from their daughter.
Joey, a former student of SMK Tung Hua in Sibu, was one of two Sarawakian students from Perlis IPG believed to have fallen into the sea during the kayaking activity last Saturday.
Christopher Ling, 21, a former student of SMK Sg Tapang here, was the other victim.
According to the Chinese daily, the victims’ bodies are currently at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, and Perlis IPG has assured the families that the incident will be investigated.