On June 6 this year, 17-year-old David Balisong from the UK was presumed missing until he was recently found safe at a hotel in Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.
It was later revealed that David had boarded a one-way flight from the UK to Malaysia, initially believed to be due to a dispute at home.
However, David’s 50-year-old mother said that prior to his disappearance, he had not shown any unusual behaviour and had always enjoyed spending time alone. She described David as a good and obedient son, and said his three-month disappearance came as a huge shock to the family.
She believes David went missing due to immense academic pressure.
She suspected that the stress from his UK Advanced Level (A-Level) examinations, combined with parental expectations, may have driven David to fly to Malaysia to “heal.”
According to her, David boarded the one-way flight as a form of temporary escapism, a way to cope with the overwhelming stress he was facing.
David had no friends or relatives in Malaysia. His mother tried contacting him via phone, but was unsuccessful as his mobile was unreachable. Nevertheless, the family did not give up and continued to reach out through text messages and email until he was eventually found safe at the KL hotel.
In reports by China Press and Buletin TV3, the mother expressed gratitude to the authorities and members of the public, especially those who helped locate David. According to PDRM, David survived in Malaysia using only the cash he had brought from the UK.
