On 17 April 2007 I tried to move an emergency motion to discuss the plight of two Malaysians who were stuck in Saudi Arabia because of a trade dispute.

The Speaker rejected the motion on the ground that the Foreign Ministry was looking into the matter.

Today Vincent Hoo, the father of one of the victims, forwarded to me an e-mail message he received from the duo, Francis Ng and Victor Hoo.

Both of them have been chased out of the Consulate in Jeddah in the middle of the night on 5 May 2007.

They have no documents to identify themselves; their passports were withheld by the other party. They were driven around by a taxi in search of a hotel to put up the night.

They went to five hotels, but no one dare to take them in because they have no identity papers.

Finally they were dumped by the taxi driver near an overhead bridge at about 3.00 in the morning.

They were forced to spend the night under the bridge with other illegal immigrants.

Finally in the morning they found their way to their lawyer’s office.

I am asking why these two Malaysians are being treated this way by the Jeddah Consulate. I have seen Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the parliamentary secretary of the Foreign Ministry yesterday and today. He had no answer for me and instead asked me to write to the Minister himself.

Do Malaysians still care?