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Berita Harian - 01/01/2008

Oleh Nor Affizar Ibrahim

PILU: Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat Datuk seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil (dua kanan) memberikan penghormatan terakhir kepada jenazah Allahyarhamah Nurin Jazlin Jazimin di Wangsa Maju.

Laporan isu wanita dipenuhi lakaran kejayaan, pertemuan, tragedi

ESOK, jendela 2007 akan menutup tirai. Dalam ketawa dan gembira meraikan kejayaan manis dicipta wanita serta hasrat dipenuhi sepanjang tahun itu, kita juga dibuai kesedihan kerana dibaluti berita dan peristiwa yang menyayat hati.

Tragedi pembunuhan bekas Perdana Menteri Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto yang ditembak mati selepas berkempen Khamis lalu, mengakhiri 2007 dengan penuh tragis. Wanita berusia 54tahun itu mencipta sejarah sebagai pemimpin wanita dunia Islam pertama apabila memenangi pilihan raya di negaranya pada 1988 ketika berusia 35 tahun.

Beliau yang dikatakan bakal membawa perubahan kepada Pakistan apabila pulang daripada buangan untuk menyertai pilihan raya 8 Januari ini, tidak pernah sunyi daripada kontroversi. Perlantikannya pada 1988 hanya mampu bertahan selama dua tahun apabila digulingkan, tetapi kembali berkuasa pada 1993 sebelum sekali lagi digulingkan pada 1996 atas tuduhan rasuah dan salah guna kuasa.

Begitu pun, dalam negara kita boleh menarik nafas lega kerana beberapa isu yang diperjuangkan diberi perhatian dan banyak pembaharuan atau perkara dibuat bagi mengubah nasib wanita, remaja serta kanak-kanak di negara ini. Tetapi pada masa sama, 2007 turut menyaksikan masih ada banyak lagi isu mengaitkan golongan itu yang membangkitkan perasaan marah dan kesal.

Masyarakat dikejutkan dengan beberapa peristiwa pilu yang menyentap perasaan, khususnya membabitkan anak kecil dan masih tidak mengetahui apa-apa serta baru hendak mengenali kehidupan. Lalu, terlintas di fikiran tidak adakah lagi dunia yang selamat untuk kanak-kanak? Ini termasuklah, kes pembunuhan yang tanpa perikemanusiaan, rogol, kecuaian dan penderaan yang berlaku.

Begitulah juga nasib malang dan kejadian yang tidak sepatutnya menimpa remaja dan wanita di negara ini, tetapi terus berlaku ke atas mereka; seperti tipu daya sindiket sehingga membawa hukuman mati atau mencalar maruah diri, terperangkap dengan dunia pelacuran, buang bayi, lari dari rumah dan sebagainya.

Timbul persoalan apakah itu semua silap wanita atau remaja itu sendiri dan tidak cukupkah undang-undang yang ada untuk menyekat semua itu daripada berlaku. Adakah semua itu adalah harga yang perlu dibayar dalam perjuangan menuntut hak kesaksamaan dan gender serta tekanan hidup ketika berdepan dengan arus perubahan dunia urban pada masa kini?

Antara rentetan peristiwa 2007 yang banyak memberi pengajaran ialah kisah kehilangan Muhammad Nazrin atau Yin, empat tahun ketika mengikut kedua ibu bapanya, Shamsul Ghazali, 35, dan Nur Amizah Ahmad, 25, membeli belah di ibu negara pada awal Mac lalu. Kehilangan Yin menggemparkan masyarakat terutama kes itu mula dikaitkan dengan sindiket menjual kanak-kanak. Bagaimanapun, ibu bapa Yin beruntung kerana anak mereka dapat ditemui semula dua minggu kemudian, selepas pelbagai usaha dilakukan untuk mencarinya.

Namun, tragedi dan kisah sadis menimpa Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, lapan tahun yang dilaporkan hilang hampir sebulan pada September lalu adalah antara peristiwa hitam yang tidak mungkin dilupakan rakyat Malaysia. Mayat Nurin ditemui dalam sebuah beg sukan dengan keadaan kaki dan tangan berlipat serta badan kurus dan wajah yang cengkung. Kejadian itu amat mengejutkan dan lebih menyayat hati apabila hasil bedah siasat mendapati kanak-kanak perempuan itu turut menjadi mangsa pencabulan seks sebelum dibunuh.

Belum pun hilang rasa sedih dan trauma, pada awal November masyarakat sekali dikejutkan dengan kes kematian seorang budak perempuan berusia sembilan tahun yang dikatakan terjatuh dari kediamannya.

Preeshena Varshiny, murid Tahun Tiga Sekolah Kebangsaan St Mary, Selayang, ditemui mati dalam longkang di Kondominium Casamila Tower, Batu Caves dan lebih mengejutkan apabila dia dipercayai dicampak dari tingkat dua selepas dirogol, liwat selain kecederaan teruk di badan dan kepala.

Sebelum itu, misteri seorang kanak-kanak perempuan berusia tiga tahun, Sherwey Ooi Ying Ying, yang dilaporkan hilang pada Julai lalu, terbongkar apabila dipercayai dibunuh sebelum dibakar berhampiran tanah perkuburan Cina Paya Terubong, di Georgetown. Kes itu amat sayu dan mendedahkan bagaimana kejamnya manusia hari ini apabila polis hanya menemui abu mayat mangsa bertaburan di kawasan berkenaan. Bayangkanlah, anak yang masih kecil itu berdepan dengan kematian begitu azab.

Ketika kita digemparkan dengan kes kanak-kanak menjadi mangsa kezaliman orang yang tidak dikenali, siapa sangka ada ibu yang sanggup ‘mencabut nyawa' anak sendiri. Kes pada Februari lalu misalnya, seorang suri rumah, Rosniza Ibrahim dituduh membunuh dua anak lelakinya yang berusia enam tahun dan 17 bulan dengan menjerut mereka menggunakan wayar seterika di Permatang Damar Laut, Bayan Lepas.

Lebih meresahkan, kes pembunuhan bukan saja dilakukan orang dewasa tetapi juga membabitkan remaja seperti yang berlaku pada 19 Oktober apabila anak-kanak berusia tujuh tahun, Mohd Khairul Nizam Riza Azmi ditemui mati dalam keadaan mengerikan. Kematian Mohd Khairul dipercayai akibat ditikam dengan serpihan kaca di sebuah rumah kosong di Taman Perangsang, Kapar, Klang oleh seorang remaja yang kemudian dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Juvana atas tuduhan membunuh.

Beberapa kes buang bayi yang dilaporkan sepanjang tahun ini oleh media turut menggugat perasaan. Kemarahan orang ramai memuncak apabila melihat gambar bayi lelaki yang dibuang di Flet Lobak, Seremban dipaparkan di dalam akhbar. Mayat bayi lelaki yang dipercayai dilahirkan dalam tempoh 24 jam ditemui masih bertali pusat dan ditinggalkan dalam keadaan mengiring di sebuah lorong kecil di kawasan perumahan itu.

Kes buang bayi bukanlah isu terpencil sebaliknya dilihat semakin menjadi-jadi sehinggakan pada Mei lalu Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) mengumumkan mewujudkan unit khas bagi membantu menyelesaikan masalah ibu yang melahirkan anak luar nikah untuk membendung gejala pembuangan bayi.

Selain terperangkap dengan masalah gejala sosial yang mencemarkan maruah diri, kita juga gusar mengetahui ada wanita Malaysia yang tertipu dengan beberapa sindiket sehingga mengheret mereka ke mahkamah dan berdepan dengan hukuman berat di luar negara. Berdasarkan statistik polis, pada tahun 2006 saja sebanyak 30 kes membabitkan wanita Malaysia ditahan di luar negara kerana menyeludup masuk dadah atau bahan terlarang ke negara lain.

Antara kes yang membabitkan wanita Malaysia ialah Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, 24; Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar, 22 dan Irene Manggi, 22 tahun. Ketiga-tiga wanita muda itu dikatakan terpedaya akibat helah sindiket yang mempergunakan mereka sebagai perantara atau pembawa bahan terlarang untuk masuk atau keluar ke sesebuah negara. Paling menyentap jantung ialah kes Umi Azlim yang dijatuhi hukuman mati kerana menyeludup dadah ke China. Beliau ditahan di China pada Januari lalu atas tuduhan membawa masuk heroin seberat 2,983 gram ke negara itu dan dijatuhi hukuman mati pada Mei lalu.

Pertemuan Mariam dan anak curi tumpuan

Kisah wanita dari Korea Selatan, Mariam Johari, 86, yang mencari anaknya di Malaysia antara yang turut mencuri perhatian. Anak kelahiran Kampung Sungai Tengkorak, Plentong, di Johor Bahru, yang terkandas di Korea Selatan sejak 61 tahun lalu itu mendapat liputan luas apabila wakil Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) datang ke negara ini bagi memastikan impian Mariam tercapai.

Mariam yang dikatakan mengikut bakal suaminya untuk bertemu ibu bapa mentuanya ketika itu tidak dapat pulang ke Malaysia kerana ketiadaan dokumen penting sehingga beliau dengan bantuan anak tirinya (warga Korea) menghubungi KBS atas tujuan berkenaan.

Usaha KBS ternyata tidak sia-sia apabila berjaya menemui anak Mariam iaitu Ramlah Sonni, 72, Jelani, 70 dan Jamnah, 65 yang kini kini menetap di Kota Tinggi.

Detik kejayaan wanita

Namun, ketika kita menghitung detik masa 2006 yang bakal berakhir, wanita Malaysia masih boleh berasa bangga dengan beberapa kecemerlangan dicapai. Ini merangkumi, kejayaan Marina Ahmad, 26, yang berjaya menawan puncak Everest pada 21 Mei lalu. Berdasarkan sejarah pendakian, Marina adalah pendaki wanita ke-91 di dunia menjejakkan kaki ke puncak Everest.

Pujian juga patut diberikan kepada S Vanajah, 35, wanita tunggal, yang terpilih antara empat calon terakhir dalam Program Angkasawan Negara kerana bukan mudah untuk sampai tahap itu yang begitu menuntut keazaman dan kekuatan daripada segala aspek.

Menjalani latihan hingga ke tahap melampau selama empat minggu di Pusat Angkasa Rusia, cukup menguji ketahanan fizikal, fisiologi dan psikologi termasuk pengorbanan melepaskan jawatannya sebagai jurutera kanan kualiti dan sanggup menangguhkan pertunangan.

Begitu juga dengan kesungguhan Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir yang mampu menamatkan ekspedisi ke Kutub Utara pada 17 April dalam ekspedisi sembilan harinya ke Artik.

Ratu Skuasy, Nicol Ann David tetap mencuri tumpuan apabila diumumkan sebagai Pemain Wanita Terbaik Dunia, selain mencipta sejarah sebagai Olahragawati Asia pertama pada majlis Anugerah Sukan Asia (ASA), baru-baru ini. Pengiktirafan Asian Sports Press Union (Aspu) itu sekali gus melengkapkan pencapaian penuh gemilang pemain nombor satu dunia itu yang memegang gelaran tertinggi itu sejak Januari tahun lalu.

Selain itu, wanita juga diberi pengiktirafan dan kedudukan sewajarnya oleh kerajaan terhadap keupayaan dan kepakaran yang mereka ada. Ini merangkumi, perlantikan Prof Datuk Dr Aminah Ayob sebagai Naib Canselor Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, satu-satunya universiti berteraskan pendidikan perguruan di negara ini. Perlantikan yang berkuatkuasa pada 1 September 2007 menjadikan beliau seorang daripada tiga naib canselor wanita di negara ini.

Di luar negara perlantikan beberapa wanita memegang jawatan penting seperti Cristina Fernandez yang dipilih menjadi presiden Argentina mencuri tumpuan. Cristina yang mengangkat sumpah sebagai presiden Argentina, awal Disember lalu melakar sejarah sebagai wanita pertama Argentina yang dilantik memegang jawatan berkenaan, sekali gus mengambil alih tempat yang dikosongkan suaminya, Nestor Kirchner yang bersara.

Cristina memulakan penggal empat tahun dengan harapan untuk meneruskan usaha suaminya yang menyaksikan Argentina mencatatkan pemulihan ekonomi dengan pertumbuhan lapan peratus setahun. Cristina adalah presiden wanita kedua di Amerika Selatan yang memegang jawatan penting berkenaan selepas Michelle Bachelet di Chile.

Nasib wanita dibela

Peningkatan ketara peruntukan untuk Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) kepada RM782 juta dalam Bajet 2008 berbanding hanya RM30 juta tahun lalu turut dilihat sebagai pengiktirafan kerajaan terhadap sumbangan wanita dalam pembangunan negara, khususnya menggalakkan wanita terus kekal dalam pasaran kerja.

Lonjakan peruntukan itu agak mengejutkan pelbagai pihak tetapi ia perlu dilihat secara serius ketelusan kerajaan dalam mengangkat martabat wanita yang turut sama menggembleng tenaga bagi memastikan negara terus berdaya saing dengan negara lain.

Selain itu, pengumuman Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak bahawa kerajaan sedang mempertimbangkan kemungkinan mewujudkan kelonggaran kepada wanita bekerjaya bagi membolehkan mereka memberi tumpuan kepada keluarga pada Sidang Kemuncak Wanita, Ogos lalu, satu berita baik bagi wanita di negara ini.

Bagi memastikan pelbagai jenayah membabitkan wanita dapat dibendung, Talian Nur 15999diwujudkan untuk membantu golongan memerlukan. malah, talian berkenaan turut berfungsi memberikan maklumat daripada KPWKM.

Apa yang pasti, semua catatan suka duka yang berlaku sepanjang 2007 dan mengaitkan wanita, kanak-kanak serta remaja di negara ini tidak wajar dijadikan lipatan sejarah semata-mata. Hakikatnya, banyak ruang kosong dan kepincangan yang perlu diperbaiki dan seharusnya kita semua merenung kembali serta mengambil iktibar setiap berlaku agar lebih cemerlang pada tahun 2008.

Utusan Malaysia - 31/12/2007

SAYA terpanggil untuk berkongsi kegusaran tentang nasib yang menimpa wanita Malaysia seperti Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar dan Umi Azlim Mohd. Lazim yang diperdaya rakyat asing untuk membawa dadah ke luar negara sehingga tertangkap dan meringkuk di penjara.

Difahamkan puluhan lagi kes yang serupa melibatkan warga muda kita di seluruh dunia yang secara tidak langsung menjejaskan nama baik negara.

Yang mendukacitakan sebahagian besar kes berkenaan adalah kerana terpedaya oleh janji manis rakyat asing yang baru dikenali.

Saya bertambah risau tentang senario ini memandangkan anak saya sendiri akan melanjutkan pelajaran ke Jepun awal tahun depan.

Saya tertanya-tanya sejauh manakah sistem pengimbas bagasi di KLIA berkesan mengimbas bagasi penumpang untuk mengesan sebarang benda asing yang mungkin tersorok tanpa pengetahuan tuan punya bagasi berkenaan.

Sekiranya sistem pengimbas kita dapat mengesan barangan asing dalam bagasi sebelum mereka berlepas ke luar negara, sudah tentu kes-kes ini lebih mudah disiasat dan diselesaikan.

Saya cadangkan semua bagasi penumpang ke luar negara diimbas dan diperiksa rapi supaya tidak ada kes terlepas sehingga tertangkap di luar negara.

Ini dapat mengelak anak-anak muda kita tertangkap di negara asing atas kesalahan yang mereka tidak lakukan.

Secara langsung ini dapat juga menyelamatkan nama baik negara agar tidak dianggap sebagai pusat pengedaran dadah ke negara luar.

Pertingkatkan sistem di Malaysia untuk menyelamatkan rakyat Malaysia!

– BAPA RISAU,

Petaling Jaya.

The Star - 30/12/2007

International drug syndicates are targeting young Malaysian women to be their mules overseas, but their con is becoming more and more difficult to detect.

FOR many, it was too good to resist. A job with a “multinational” in a ritzy office, cool boss, good money and travel opportunities – how lucky can a fresh graduate get?

However, as a few young Malaysians recently discovered, the dream can easily turn into a nightmare. The bright future instantly dimmed as they find themselves languishing in foreign jails or biding time until their execution under another country's law.

Chew: ‘Ensure the foreign culprits do not get off scott-free'

Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, a 24-year-old graduate of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, could not believe her luck when she saw the high-paying courier job advertised on the Net early this year. She was caught at Shantou airport in China with 2,983gms of heroin in her luggage, and has been sentenced to death.

Neither could Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar, 22, a mass communication student in a private college in Cyberjaya, who travelled to Japan to be interviewed for a well-paid job last year, as recommended by her Iranian friend.

Her “helpful” friend even bought her a travelling bag and winter clothes, which he passed to her just before she departed. This proved to be a costly gift as Raja Munirah was later caught in the Narita International Airport with drugs in her locked luggage. Charged with trafficking in 690gm of Syabu, she is now serving a seven-year-and-one-month jail term in Kosuke Detention Centre, Tokyo.

Previously, most drug traffickers played on women's emotions with promises of love to get them to do their dirty jobs. The “casanovas” usually lured these women by showering them with expensive gifts before sending them off on all-expense paid holidays to foreign destinations, where they were requested to pass a gift to a friend or relative.

These days, many drug syndicates prey on the MTV generation's need for instant gratification and materialistic aspirations, with the quick buck and high-flying lifestyle the common carrots.

“Unfortunately, many of our young are easily conned because they are simply too impatient to get rich and attain the high lifestyle they aspire to,” said lawyer Rosal Azimin Ahmad, who was hired by Raja Munirah's family to help defend her.

According to Tenaganita programme coordinator Aegile Fernandez, the problem is intensified by globalisation.

“Drug syndicates have become international with their members easily travelling in and out of Malaysia under the guise of tourists and students. Our work on trafficking has revealed that our borders are porous as it is easy for foreigners to enter the country and smuggle in drugs or weapons,” she alleged.

Muhammad Shafee: ‘Many of the young Malaysian girls caught were naive'

The modus operandi of drug syndicates has also become more insidious, added Rosal Azimin.

“It is a rich syndicate, so many can put up a rich cover like a good office while their members live and dress well. They can also afford to take time to gain not only their target's confidence but also the family and friends. Like in Raja Munirah's case, the Iranian man who conned her is close to her family, having been to their house many times.

“For work, sometimes it is not even a courier job, you might be hired for another job, and when you are settled in, maybe six months down the road, you might be sent on an overseas assignment. So, you can't really blame the girls who get duped for being stupid or careless,” he said.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong also believes that many of the young mules were duped and exploited by international drug syndicates.

“Some of these girls responded to job offers by international companies set up by Middle Easterners and Africans in Kuala Lumpur that put up job advertisements.

“The bosses would bring them for meetings with the so-called VIPs and even take them to meetings overseas.

“So, bringing documents and brief cases are natural and these girls do not know that the drugs were implanted inside.

“The girls were all innocent and they could pass through the watchful eyes of drug enforcers trained to observe people at the airport. They did not know that they were carrying drugs until their bags were screened. We must help them,” Chong said.

News reports revealed that in the past 11 months, about 32 Malaysian women in the 20 to 40 age group have been arrested for their involvement.

Women, Family and Community Development Ministry parliamentary secretary Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun argued that most of the time greed landed people into trouble.

She said no one would offer so much of money for an easy job.

“Therefore, Malaysians, especially young women, must not easily fall into such a trap, and trust strangers in a short period of time.”

Information important

Jobstreet.com vice-president (Marketing), Simon Si urged young jobseekers to always be careful and cautious when it comes to jobs that seem very lucrative (abnormally high salary) for very little effort.

“Such “dream” jobs rarely exist. The most important when accepting a job offer is to be absolutely sure about the company you will be working for and absolutely clear about your role and responsibility in that position,” he said.

He added it is crucial that they take the effort to do some background checks.

“The Internet is a good source to get information on companies. If the job is posted by a recruitment agency, a check with the Human Resource Ministry can help to determine if the agency is properly licensed. If it is a company, its record would be with the Registrar of Companies,” he said, adding that looking for a job through established recruitment companies such a JobStreet.com is much safer as they will have a verification measure in place.

He explained, at Jobstreet , jobs that are posted with insufficient information on type of job and requirements will be highlighted by the system, hence it will be checked and if the information provided is not satisfactory the job does not get posted.

“If jobseekers are called for an interview, they should take the effort during the job interview to learn more about each other for the purpose of filling a position within an organisation,” said Si, adding that if it is suspicious, the job offer should be turned down.

A graphic artist in her mid-thirties who only wanted to be known as Reena relayed her experience of being offered a courier job for a foreign NGO in the Middle East in one of the social networks on the Internet.

“At first it seemed harmless enough as the job is to deliver relief supplies to disaster and war torn areas. Then I got suspicious about why the organisation had to recruit people through the Internet, and started asking questions.”

She became more suspicious when she was told that she would not be allowed to open and check the packages.

“I kept egging him and his breaking point came when I asked why they did not use courier service for the deliveries and he just snapped back that if I was not interested, there are many others who need the money willing to do the job,” she said.

She added, however, that she might have jumped at the opportunity without a thought if she had been younger and more naive.

Young girls the target

Prominent lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who defended the case of Ruzana Zubir who was arrested in Australia for smuggling 5kg of opium last year, believes that many of the Malaysian girls who were caught were naive.

“Young girls with not much experience travelling overseas are certainly not aware of the kind of complications that they can get into right from the time they a board a plane and land at foreign airports,” he said.

Muhammad Shafee said in the case of Ruzana, it was proven without doubt that she was not aware of the nature of substances she was carrying.

Ruzana who was arrested on April 1, 2005 after Australian customs officers seized a tar-like block wrapped in tape from her luggage when she arrived in Sydney. She was later freed and acquitted by an Australian court of the charge.

Chew urged the police to find the root cause. “If it is the foreigners, try to arrest them to ensure the culprits do not get off scott- free.”

“We at the ministry level will discuss on what can be done to ensure young women do not get cheated by foreigners, until they end up in prison,” she added.

One area that needed attention is the dissemination of information on the dangers, said Fernandez.

“In the past there were many campaigns and posters to raise awareness on the dangers of getting duped into drug trafficking. That has stopped,” she said.

Fernandez stressed that a problem was that the authorities are not doing enough to nab the big players – the syndicates.

“We are nabbing the addicts and the couriers but more needs to be done to catch the syndicates' big bosses,” she said.

Muhammad Shafee agreed, “Many of them were targeted by foreigners, where the initial contact is made in Malaysia, and I believe that the police should unravel the people behind the syndicate.”

Reports by LEE YUK PENG, MANJIT KAUR, ANDREW SAGAYAM and HARIATI AZIZAN

The Star - 30/12/2007

PETALING JAYA: It is a dream job at an international company dealing with the import-export of goods. The office is swanky with various branches overseas. Cool boss, good money and if you are lucky, the chance to travel – what more could a fresh graduate ask for?

More than they bargained for, apparently, as some young Malaysians have recently discovered.

One is Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, a 24-year-old graduate of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, who was enticed by a high-paying courier job advertised on the Net early this year. She was caught at Shantou airport in China with 2,983g of heroin in her luggage. She has been sentenced to death.

Another is Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar, 22, a mass communication student at a private college in Cyberjaya, who travelled to Japan to be interviewed for a well-paid job last year, as recommended by her Iranian friend.

She is languishing in a Japanese jail, serving a seven-year jail term after being caught with drugs at the Narita International Airport.

News reports reveal that in the past 11 months, about 32 Malaysian women between the ages of 20 and 40 had been arrested for their involvement as couriers.

Federal narcotics department director Comm Datuk Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin said that while there are a few who were tricked into trafficking drugs by their foreign friends or acquaintances, many of the young women were lured by good money and free overseas trips.

He believes the number of women involved in smuggling drugs could be much higher than what's on police record. There are also many women consciously working for drug syndicates.

“Up to now, over 30 women, mostly in their 20s, have been nabbed but we won't be surprised if the number of women acting as couriers is triple that,” he said.

Foreign Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek agreed that many were inexperienced and unaware of the foreign country's laws and culture.

“Their cases show a similar pattern: many of them are first-time travellers and had just got their passports,” he said.

Lawyer Rosal Azimin Ahmad, who was hired by Raja Munirah's family to help defend her, pointed out that international drug syndicates have a new modus operandi.

“Many syndicates use the cover of international companies to lure young women with big salaries and travel opportunities. They prey on young people's ambition to make fast money without working too hard. Unfortunately, many of them are easily conned because they are simply too impatient to get rich,” he said.

He added it was getting more difficult to distinguish between a real business entity and a drug syndicate as many now go the extra mile to put up a facade of legitimacy.

“The syndicates now make a lot of money so they can afford to set up an office while their members live and dress well.

“They can also afford to take time to gain not only their target's confidence but also that of the family and friends.

“For work, they offer the young women different positions, not a courier's job. When they are settled in, maybe six months down the road, they will be sent on an overseas assignment,” he said.

Reports by LEE YUK PENG, MANJIT KAUR, ANDREW SAGAYAM and HARIATI AZIZAN