KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 ― The parents of Nora Anne Quoirin have expressed their disbelief today over their late teen daughter’s case being labelled as “no further action” (NFA) by the Malaysian authorities.
The couple said this was in contrast with both the French and Irish governments, which are backing the family in its quest for the truth of their daughter’s death last August on Malaysian soil.
“We cannot believe, nor understand why, any modern economy would label such a harrowing and mysterious case NFA without full process and the total refusal to communicate with us is both insulting and unfathomable,” Meabh Jaseprine Quoirin and Sebastien Marie Philipe said in a statement today.
Nora Anne’s family is now appealing directly to the Malaysian government as well as the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to assist it in searching for the truth of their daughter’s disappearance and death.
Yesterday, the AGC had classified the case of Nora, who was found dead after she went missing from the Dusun Pantai Hill Resort in August last year as NFA.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Huzir Mohamed said this was based on the earlier report which had classified the case as sudden death.
According to Huzir also, the report was based on the statement from a pathology report which stated that Nora Anne’s death was caused by gastrointestinal bleeding.
Demanding for answers, Nora Anne’s parents said they have learned that with the case classified as NFA, it essentially means that, at this time, there will be no inquest.
“We are shocked by this decision, not least because it is based on a preliminary report from the Coroner’s office,” the parents said.
“To date, we have only received a short explanation from the pathologists who conducted the post-mortem in Malaysia which confirmed the cause of death as gastrointestinal bleeding and an ulcer (likely brought on by starvation and/or stress).
“We must emphasise however that this is only a brief extract of what will be the full post-mortem report, which is as yet still unavailable,” they added.
They also stressed that it is critical that they receive this report as it may reveal other significant details that contributed to their daughter’s death, such as why a severe ulcer was triggered so quickly in her body.
“It is moreover utterly unacceptable that we have not received a single update from Malaysia since Nora’s death,” they said.
In addition, Nora Anne’s parents view the AGC’s decision as preventing justice being done.
“As we have stressed from the beginning of this case, it is crucial to understand how Nora came to be found where she was.
“As a vulnerable child, with significant physical and mental challenges, we strongly refute any conclusion that Nora was alone for the entire duration of her disappearance.
“We have repeatedly asked the police to clarify answers to our questions in this regard – and we have been repeatedly ignored,” they said.
This is in contrast with the promise of transparency that we received from the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and other prominent officials whom we met in Malaysia, added Meabh and Sebastian.
“We believe it is a democratic human right to seek the truth. We have witnessed how our most vulnerable citizens in this world are all too often ignored and we are now facing considerable prejudice in our search for answers,” they added.
In the same statement, Lucie Blackman Trust that has been assisting the family also expressed shock over the decision.
“It seems unbelievable that, in a case that looks so complex and currently unexplained, that any authority could effectively close it down without even waiting for full reports. The idea that Nora went off, on her own, seems incredibly unlikely.
“This family needs answers and at least deserves an investigation to the greatest lengths available. We are urgently seeking answers from various authorities – Nora’s death needs to be explained,” its chief executive Matthew Searle said.
On December 17 last year, Nora Anne’s parents Meabh, 45, and Sebastian 47, claimed that there were criminal elements in their daughter’s death.
The media reported that Meabh and Sebastian had filed a suit against the operator of The Dusun which is the location of their holiday accommodation in Pantai, Seremban last August.
In the suit, they claimed the operator failed to ensure security at the premises as there was no closed-circuit television cameras and poor maintenance to secure the latch of a window in the room where they stayed.
Nora Anne, 15, and her family arrived in Malaysia for a two-week holiday and checked in at the eco-resort on August 3, before the teenager was reported missing the next morning.
