BINTULU: “Study hard for the coming STPM examination,” were the words which Meling Mula, 48, said repeatedly to his eldest daughter Maryline Sindun, who will be sitting for the exam in November.
Meling, who assembled scaffolding for an oil and gas company based in Kuala Lumpur but worked in Venezuela, is said to be a father who emphasised on his children’s education.
“My father always brought a smile to my face and made me happy. He was very concerned about my studies,” she said, unable to contain her sadness over the loss of her father.
Meling was a victim in the MH17 flight which departed from Amsterdam at 12.15pm (Amsterdam time) and was scheduled to arrive at KLIA, Sepang at 6.10am (Malaysian time) yesterday.
With sadness and grief shrouding their home at Flat Sungai Pelan, Tanjung Kidurong, near here, Meling’s wife, Simbut Kedit, 39, and their three children Maryline Sindun, 18, Benedict Bana, 15, and Gabriel, 8, anxiously waited for updates from Malaysia Airlines (MAS) on the tragedy.
For Simbut, she could not believe that the last time her husband came home in April would be the last he would be with the family.
“Meling was supposed to return to Bintulu yesterday after the MH17 flight.
“I can’t believe my husband is a victim in the tragedy. He was a good husband and father, someone who was responsible and concerned about the family,” she said.
According to Simbut, her husband contacted the family often, and he had informed since last month of his plans to return to Bintulu today.
“My husband promised to bring us out when he came back for holidays,” she added. — Bernama