KUALA LUMPUR - Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) will provide counseling support to the family affected by the recent tragic incident involving rat poison.
In a press conference, its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said that the Social Welfare Department (JKM) has been dispatched to assist the grieving family and offer psychological support to help them cope with their loss.
"The incident took place in an orchard area where it is intended to catch monkeys. The thing is, maybe they didn't think about how placing it there could interest children, so that's something that needs to be investigated.
"JKM has already gone to the place to assist them. We are more focused on counseling and the others we leave to the police to handle," she said in a press conference at 'Population and Family Study' launch held at Asian International Arbitration Centre, here.
The incident had raised serious concerns about safety and the unintended consequences.
The two children, Muhammad Akil Syauqi Nur Sufyan, 3, and his younger brother Muhammad Luth Syauqi, 2, fell critically ill after consuming the snacks, believed to have been placed on a fence by a farm owner to trap monkeys.
Tragically, Akil passed away at 8.40am yesterday, while his brother remained unconscious at Penang Hospital.
Nancy also stressed the importance of community vigilance and the role of local leaders in preventing such incidents.
"I hope the authorities will learn a lesson from this incident," she added.
The Minister expressed her deep sympathy for the family, especially for the younger sibling who is still fighting for his life.