| Hakim Hayat |
THE story about two Malaysian tourists who claimed to be duped in the capital went viral on social media yesterday.
The Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) said it did not receive any report in this regard.
The alleged incident was narrated in a blog post titled ‘Dugaan Ramadhan Dua Back Packers Rakyat Malaysia Dianiaya di Brunei’, or loosely translated as ‘Testing time for two Malaysian backpackers in Brunei during the month of Ramadhan’, which was uploaded on the popular Malaysian blog site www.blogmazeer.com.
According to the post, the tourists who arrived in the country on June 8, the second day of Ramadhan in the Sultanate, claimed they were offered cheap accommodation by a local man they met while going around the capital.
The tourists said the man, claiming to be a tourist guide, offered cheap accommodation at a ‘homestay’ in Kampong Ayer for only B$30 per night.
The ‘homestay’ which was offered to the tourists
Although the offer seemed dodgy, the backpackers agreed to it and proceeded to the supposed ‘homestay’ in Kampong Saba Laut, Mukim Saba and were given a set of keys to their rooms.
The so called tourist guide then left the scene saying that he had other tourists to tend to.
The tourists said the man offered them a short excursion to the Istana Nurul Iman and also to buy food for Sahur.
They waited for him until close to midnight at the ‘homestay’ when a loud bang was heard from front door. The duo claimed that two men kicked the door open and asked for their identity.
The Malaysians said the two men claimed they were ‘policemen’ and told them they came in search of the ‘tourist guide’ who was under investigation for stealing a camera and a house key.
The two ‘policemen’ later said the ‘tourist guide’ was an ex-convict who just got out of prison after serving sentence in a rape and theft case.
During the commotion, the tourists were advised by the residents nearby to leave the house immediately.
Both ‘policemen’ later assisted them to call a water taxi to cross the river to the capital.
In the blog post, the tourists said that fearing for their safety, they immediately left the house although payment had been made to the ‘tourist guide’.
“What matters most is our lives,” they added.
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