A Singaporean hiker who was lost in a Malaysian forest reserve has been found, according to the Malaysian authorities.
The 33-year-old man went missing for more than one day after being separated from his companion.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
He escaped from the ordeal with minor injuries.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday (17 Sep) night, the Kota Tinggi District Police said a male non-citizen named Jason Ren Jie had gone missing.
They were alerted to his disappearance at 3.26pm that day by a Malaysian man, who was with the missing man when they lost contact.
The duo were believed to have gone hiking in the Hutan Panti Forest Reserve in Johor state.
A team from the Batu Ampat police station was mobilised to find the missing man.
Source: Polis Daerah Kota Tinggi on Facebook
The search-and-rescue operation was assisted by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department and the Johor Forestry Department.
Source: Polis Daerah Kota Tinggi on Facebook
However, they didn’t manage to find the man by 11.30pm that night.
The search operation was thus paused till the next day, as it was too dark.
On Sunday (18 Sep), the Kota Tinggi police posted another Facebook statement saying the search-and-rescue operation resumed at 10am that morning.
At 2.22pm, they got a call from a member of the public, informing them that a person suspected to be the missing man had been spotted at the Kota Tinggi-Mersing highway.
They dispatched a response team and found Jason Ren Jie safe at the location.
Source: Polis Daerah Kota Tinggi on Facebook
He was found at about 3.15pm, Kota Tinggi police chief Hussin Zamora was quoted by Shin Min Daily News as saying.
The police chief also said that the man is from China, but has become a naturalised Singapore citizen.
Jason Ren Jie had gone hiking with his Malaysian friend at about 11.30am the previous day, but they got separated at a climbing section at about 1pm.
He also suffered some minor injuries like cuts, and was sent to Kota Tinggi Hospital for treatment.
Source: Polis Daerah Kota Tinggi on Facebook
Though the lost hiker may have been found safe and sound, the case isn’t over yet, apparently.
As he entered the forest reserve without a permit, the Johor Forestry Department will take action against the 33-year-old, The Star reported.
Under Section 47 of the National Forestry Act 1984 (Act 313), those found guilty of this offence face a fine of not more than S$3,100 (RM10,000) and/or a prison term of not more than three years.
This may also apply to his Malaysian friend, 35-year-old Teng Jih Bao.
The Kota Tinggi police has advised members of the public who want to visit the forest reserve to obtain a permit from the Forestry Department first.
They should also engage the services of a guide and inform the police of their movements to prevent such incidents from happening again in future.
As Singapore is small, some Singaporeans who go hiking overseas may not realise the danger of getting lost.
Unfortunately, Jason Ren Jie isn’t the only Singaporean who has gotten lost while hiking overseas.
In June, a 58-year-old man from Singapore got lost for three days while hiking in New York State’s Adirondack region — which is almost 33 times the size of Singapore.
Just last month, a 40-year-old Singaporean man was lost in the middle of a mountain range in Johor for around 21 hours.
Following that case, the Johor authorities also advised adventurers to register in advance with the police or the forest bureau for their own safety.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Polis Daerah Kota Tinggi on Facebook.
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