'Missing' pageant organiser claims she had been hospitalised

The woman behind the Prince & Princess Asian World 2014 has surfaced - and postponed the pageant yet again.

Madam Norhudah Sarina Mohd Dokfar, also known as Sarina Yee, runs Makin & Sorfina Productions.

She claimed she had not been contactable because she was warded.

The pageant was originally scheduled for June 1, before it was postponed to June 15.

Twelve parents who had paid between $200 and $1,500 to enter their children in the contest became worried when there was no news about the pageant and could not reach Madam Sarina last week.

The New Paper ran the report last Wednesday and on Thursday we found Madam Sarina in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

She claimed to have been there for the past two weeks. But a TTSH hospital staff member said Madam Sarina stayed only one night at the hospital.

Madam Sarina, who looked weak in the picture, declined to disclose her ailment, except to say that it was a "long-term condition".

She claimed she had been warded at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) before she was transferred to TTSH. But KTPH hospital records showed there was no patient matching her name.

Last Friday morning, TNP went to TTSH again, but a staff member said she had been discharged by Thursday evening.

REFERRAL LETTER

In an e-mail and several WhatsApp message exchanges with TNP subsequently, Madam Sarina said she had been given a referral letter to go to KTPH but she didn't.

She also declined to name the general practitioner who had given the referral.

She wrote: "I was not feeling well. I don't wish to talk further.

"(sic) I'm sorry I not able to provide tat (a photo of the referral letter) as I don't wan ppl know my sickness."

She added that she hopes the pageant can still continue because she wants to show the participants her "sincerity".

She added: "I know there has been some confusion, and I'm already planning to meet all the parents to clear the air."

She promised to give full refunds to contestants who wished to pull out.

"I'll have to face it," she added.

Madam Sarina has since contacted some of the concerned parents. This was confirmed by those who spoke to TNP.

She had offered a refund to those who wanted out, but had also asked that they support her in her "last wish" to carry on with the pageant at a later date.

Mrs Rozita Klaseboer, 42, a make-up artist who had paid $1,150 to enter her seven-year-old daughter in the contest, said: "She had at first promised to refund the full sum to me by June 16, but she has since (last night) requested that I wait until Friday. She also asked that I let my daughter join the pageant for free, since she has already ordered the tiara.

"But I have turned her down, and am now just waiting for the bank transfer (refund)."

Another parent, who asked not to be named, said Madam Sarina had promised to meet them later this week, but she did not indicate when.

The parent, who had registered her son, said: "She also told me that she hoped I would still support her in this pageant because it would be the last she is staging. She said she would then move to Malaysia to rest.

"All the mothers are now in touch with one another, and we are waiting to see what happens before we decide on our next move."

tnp@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 17, 2014.
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