Illustration photo.
Notably, according to the guardian, the phone of one female student among the 5 missing students was disconnected and social network accounts such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok were all deleted.
5 international students mysteriously disappeared
Australian police and authorities have launched an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of five Vietnamese students in the city of Adelaide recently.
According to Australian media, the fact that Vietnamese international students in Adelaide have gone missing at different times over the past month has raised concerns about the risk of kidnapping and forced Australian police to investigate.
According to 7 News television channel, all five Vietnamese international students are said to be studying at Hamilton High School in the suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia on an exchange basis.
However, the authorities currently do not know whether there is any connection between these students who disappeared “without a trace”.
According to Australian media, the police have been investigating the case of four Vietnamese international students missing since early December. Local authorities announced on January 11 that one person had been found, however, four cases remained. There is still no new news, notably, among them is a child who has been missing for more than 4 weeks.
“Police are working with federal police partners to help locate the missing young people,” police said. The disappearances are handled separately and police believe they are unrelated. “All current investigations suggest that some of the children may have gone to another state and are still there. There is also no information to suggest that the children are in danger,” an Australian police spokesman said. revealed.
“We are very worried”
Sunnie Nguyen (17 years old, real name Nguyen Hoan Ngoc Anh according to Thanh Nien newspaper) was identified as the 5th Vietnamese student to mysteriously disappear in Australia recently.
Sunnie Nguyen reportedly had dinner with her host family at around 7:00 p.m. on January 8, then returned to her room to rest.
When female homeowner May Zervaas checked the room around 11 p.m., Sunnie had disappeared with her backpack, laptop, some clothes and some important identification documents. The room showed no signs of being broken into and most of her belongings were still intact.
Australian media said that Ms. Zervaas then tried to contact Sunnie, but her phone was turned off and her Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok accounts were also deleted. About 30 minutes later, the family reported the female student missing to the police.
“I sat on the phone all night, anxiously waiting for a call from Sunnie,” Ms. Zervaas’s daughter Mary told the Daily Mail.
According to Mary, Sunnie is not fluent in English and often has to ask others to help her translate what she means. “Sunnie had 5 backpacks, but only left with one. She also brought important items such as a laptop, a passport, most likely to prove her identity, along with some clothes and two pairs of shoes. But she left everything else here, including her medicine,” Mary said. During the six months she lived with the Zervaas family, her schedule revolved around going to school, coming home, and then spending the evenings laughing, dancing, and making videos with the two other international students sharing the house.
According to Australian newspapers, like her peers, Sunnie likes to sing, dance, spend time with friends, and even Taylor Swift.
According to Mary, Sunnie lives happily and in harmony with her family and her student visa is still valid for up to 3 years. So, they don’t believe I ran away.
Currently, the Zervaas family, housemates and even Sunnie’s Vietnamese best friend are all “worried and shocked” by the disappearance of the female student, because everything in her life seems to be “completely normal”. .
Mary added that the authorities in Australia are trying to contact Sunnie’s parents in Quang Binh province, but so far have not been able to connect.
In addition, the Zervaas family also reached out to Sunnie’s friends but only received news that she had not contacted anyone since her disappearance.
“We are very worried. She will have to struggle alone,” Mary said.
Looking for missing international students
Ms. Mi Tran, owner of Mi and Co The Nail and Beauty Bar, said female student Sunnie did not come to work on her shift on November 10.
The woman said that Sunnie was a reliable employee, always giving advance notice if she was late or unable to work.
“I am very lucky to have her in my team. We are all very worried and have not been able to sleep since we received the news that she was missing. Sunnie is our youngest,” said Mrs. Mi. Sunnie’s colleagues also said they sent her messages but have not received a response.
This is the time for schools in Australia to let students have summer break. Therefore, many people hope that the children are just on vacation. “I hope this is just a case of 17-year-olds wanting to gather somewhere without telling anyone,” said Ms. Lien Nguyen-Navas, spokesperson for the Vietnamese Women’s Union in Australia. Australian police are also calling on anyone with information related to the disappearance of Vietnamese international students to report and support the investigation. “We are coordinating with the federal police to continue locating the children,” the police spokesman emphasized.