The state minister for community and family affairs, Fatimah Abdullah, said she hoped the ministry would pay heed to the requests made by the families of Corporal David Edmund Rapi and Lance Corporal Moses Logers of the Fourth Battalion Royal Ranger Regiment, both of whom are from Sarawak.

The soldiers, based at Bukit Cowder Camp, Perlis, were found to be missing after a late-night roll call. A search and rescue operation was called off on Tuesday as there had been no new leads or discovery of any bodies.

“The matter is still under discussion and unless we get the ministry’s approval, we cannot just allow the victims’ family members to go to the camp and retrieve their belongings,” Fatimah said today.

She added that the state government would also assist in providing transport and lodging for the soldiers’ family members if the application was approved.