KULAI: A mother is yearning for her eldest son's return 36 years after he vanished without a trace after graduating from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in the United States.
Jas Jabar, 77, is the mother of Abdul Khalid Deman, who was reported missing 36 years ago after he did not return to the country upon completing his tertiary studies.
Jas said her eldest son pursued his studies at the university after finishing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) from 1985 to 1989 and had returned home twice before finally disappearing without a trace.
She said both her late husband, Deman Mohamad, who passed away 21 years ago, and herself had never blamed Abdul Khalid for not returning to Malaysia after completing his studies.
"Abang Long, please come home, Mak misses you. We don't care about what happened before (when you didn't come home).
"Mak and your siblings are not angry, and even the late father is not angry. Before Mak closes her eyes, I hope to see you again.
"I have accepted what happened, but I really hope to meet my beloved eldest son again.
"The last time we met was in 1988, and at that time, Abang Long said he would come home in 1989.
"Abang Long was a good child, soft-hearted and not very talkative. When we last met, he was the same as usual, but whatever happened, I hope he can come home," she said at her residence in Felda Sungai Sibol.
Abdul Khalid's second sibling, Rohani, 57, said that her eldest brother was a former student of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Batu Rakit, Kuala Terengganu, and a Mara-sponsored student who went abroad to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Architecture.
"We did not keep in touch with him when he was overseas because, back then, the technology was less advanced than it is now. However, he did send a letter home once at the beginning of his studies.
"Abang Long went abroad at the age of 19, and he returned in 1986 and 1988, so the last time we saw him was 36 years ago, and we haven't heard from him since.
"We really miss Abang Long, especially our mother, who hopes to see him again," she said.
She said the family hopes to obtain information about Abdul Khalid, including whether he is still alive or not, to resolve the mystery of his disappearance and ease the family's longing.
"We are at a loss on how to find Abang Long. Going to the United States is expensive, and we don't know his location.
"We conducted a check with the National Registration Department and found that Abang Long never returned to the country since he last came back 36 years ago.
"Mara also made announcements on television regarding students who could not be traced and had not returned, including Abang Long.
"Even though Abang Long didn't return, we siblings continued paying off his education loan, which was fully paid off last year," she said.
Rohani said since the story of their search gained attention on TikTok after being shared by a nephew, they have managed to connect with some of his friends, but so far, there has been no news regarding his whereabouts.
"We don't know the reason for Abang Long's disappearance, but we don't want to make any assumptions.
"We really hope to hear news about Abang Long and to reunite with him if he is still in this world. That is our daily prayer," she said.
Anyone with information about Abdul Khalid can contact Rohani at 019-6862407.