| James Kon |
A NEWBORN baby boy is recovering at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, after being found wedged face-down in a public toilet yesterday, near the food stalls at RPN Kampong Rimba.
The infant was rescued by stall vendor, Zaharudin bin Haji Durahim, who heard a commotion in one of the toilet cubicles and initially thought that a snake had surfaced through the plumbing system.
But when he went to investigate, he found a newborn infant partially submerged inside the toilet bowl, with the placenta still attached.
Suppressing his horror, Zaharudin immediately reached down and lifted the newborn out of the bowl.
“As a father, I couldn’t let anything happen to this baby,” he said. “I patted him on the back to remove the excess water, until I heard him crying.”
While waiting for the emergency services to arrive, Zaharudin cradled the infant to keep him warm, praying that all would be well.
He added, “I have spoken to my wife about it, and we are hoping to adopt the baby, if the authorities will allow us.”
The newborn’s rescue was captured on video by a bystander, and circulated on social media.
Meanwhile, the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) is investigating the case.
Anyone with information that might assist the police can contact the Women and Children’s Abuse Investigation Unit under the RBPF’s Criminal Investigation Department at 993, or 2459500 ext 496/333.