Liau's Body Recovered.

Brunei-Muara - The body of famous veteran actor Hj Rais Banih, fondly known as Liau Badar, was found at Jerudong beach last night after a four-day search.

His body was discovered by family members at 6.20pm, trapped between coastal rocks on a strip of beach behind the Jerudong Polo and Country Club golf course, about three kilometres from Jerudong Beach.

The 74-year-old was reported missing Sunday morning after his capsized boat was found floating near Jerudong Beach.

The actor was a keen angler who fished there regularly. Hundreds of fans, friends and family members of the beloved actor converged on the shores of the beach where his body was found, reading doa selamat and waiting for the body to be brought down from the rocks.

Officials from the Fire and Rescue Department, assisted by the Marine Police and relatives of the deceased, retrieved the body from the rocks at about 9pm, but it took them a further 40 minutes to transport the body to the shore and place it in the ambulance due to the hundreds of people crowding the beach. Twenty security guards from the Jerudong Polo and Country Club assisted police in keeping the crowd at bay as they clamoured to catch a glimpse of the body. The deceased was immediately taken to Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (Ripas) Hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.

According to eyewitnesses among the recovery team, Hj Rais's body was already in the advanced
stages of decomposition, further delaying the retrieval due to the delicate state of the body.
Since the day of the accident, the deceased's family have been holding vigil at Jerudong beach, searching for the actor with various government agencies headed by the Fire and Rescue Department.

Hj Rais's wife, who had stayed at the beach for three days straight, was hospitalised on Tuesday after collapsing due to emotional distress.

Immediate family members were also outraged with false rumours circulating among the Bruneian community for the past few days, regarding the discovery of Hj Rais's body, when the search was still ongoing.

Several relatives of the deceased said the rumours caused further distress to their family as well as causing complications in the search carried out by the Fire and Rescue Department.

Razalee Hj Rais, the son of the veteran comedian, said that since retiring, his father frequently went out to sea by himself. "He would leave (the house to go out to sea) as early as Subuh (dawn) prayers were finished, and would normally return by 10am," he told The Brunei Times.

Razalee said he began to worry as the day stretched past 10am and his father did not return from his fishing trip. Friends of Hj Rais were believed to have made a distress call at 1.18pm on Sunday afternoon after his boat was found floating astray at about 10.45am that morning.

The funeral for Hj Rais will be held today at 9am in Kg Patit, Limau Manis. Hj Rais is survived by his wife and son. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times