Family of Malaysian found dead in Vietnam hotel short of funds to bring body back

Mohd Noorazman, 31, the victim's younger brother, said an estimated sum of RM40,000 was needed for the family to bring back the body.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement yesterday informed that Mohd Azhar was found dead in a hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City and the police there were still investigating the cause of the victim's death.

Mohd Noorazman said his brother went to Vietnam for a holiday on April 15 with a village friend known as Angah, and should have returned home to Kampung Air Merah, Kulim on April 28.

"However, until now we have not been able to contact Angah. The two had been close friends from small," he said when contacted today.

Mohd Azhar, still single and the second of three siblings, was working as a shop assistant in Kulim. He was also the vocalist for the band, Svatantrata, which is active in and around Kulim and the group had also performed in Singapore.

Mohd Noorazman said he got to know about his elder brother's death when police came to his house.

"My mother was shocked to hear the news. I too couldn't sleep for two days now thinking about this. We were very close and he liked to joke with me," he said.

According to media reports, Mohd Azhar's body was found with slash wounds on his head and shoulder and there were blood stains on the hotel room floor.

Meanwhile, Bandar Baharu assemblyman Datuk Norsabrina Mohd Noor said she had contacted the Air Merah UMNO branch head to inform her of any developments on the matter.