The parents of a 5-year-old, who died after being left in a school van for hours in Johor Bahru, have rejected a RM100,000 settlement offer from the kindergarten’s operator, calling it “insincere and irresponsible”

The family had earlier sought RM2,059,301 in compensation from four parties, including the kindergarten operator, the transportation company, and the 57-year-old school van driver, according to China Press.

However, during a press conference on Tuesday, 30 July, the family’s lawyer, Ng Kian Nam, said the operator had offered RM100,000 to settle the matter, but without admitting fault or offering an apology, reported the Mandarin-language daily.

“The family believes the kindergarten and the driver are being unreasonable. There is no sincerity, no accountability,” Ng said.

“We have officially rejected the offer and will proceed to file a lawsuit at the Johor Bahru High Court next month.”

He added that his legal team will be working pro bono to represent the family in court, not just for justice, but also to ensure such negligence never happens again.

 

The victim’s mother broke down in tears during the press conference, questioning how her son was marked present at the kindergarten that day when he never even set foot in class

“The school claims they did a roll call. But my child wasn’t in class, so who signed him in? No one has answered me,” the mother said.

She also criticised the RM100,000 offer, asking, “Can that amount bring my Yu Zie back? Even RM1 million wouldn’t be enough; we just want our son.”

The victim’s father, Teo Jia, said that the family hopes the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will take further action against the kindergarten.

According to the parents’ lawyer, the Johor state legal adviser’s office has refused to prosecute the kindergarten operator, despite what the family views as clear evidence of negligence.

According to him, the legal adviser had twice rejected the family’s request to prosecute the operator, without providing any reason.

“We will now be writing directly to AGC in Putrajaya to appeal the decision. We believe the kindergarten operator, as the van driver’s employer, failed in their duty to supervise and enforce proper safety measures, such as attendance and roll calls,” the lawyer added.

On 30 April, the 5-year-old boy was found unconscious in a school van parked outside a kindergarten in Taman Bukit Indah

He had been left inside the vehicle for about five hours, reportedly forgotten by the van driver after the morning drop-off. When he was finally discovered around 12pm, he was already unresponsive and later confirmed dead, believed to have died from heat and suffocation.

The 57-year-old driver was due in court on 17 June but failed to show up along with his lawyer and bailor.

Following the tragedy, the Johor state government introduced new standard operating procedures for school bus and van operators

According to Johor State Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin, the new measures are aimed at prioritising student safety and preventing similar tragedies from recurring in the future.

“These SOPs must be strictly followed by all licensed operators of school transport services,” he was quoted as saying at the time.