KUCHING: The search for missing four-year-old Eric Chang Wei Jie in the waters of the Muara Tebas river here since last Sunday (March 13) has been called off.

       Kuching OCPD Asst Comm Ashmon Bajah said although various search initiatives had been taken by the operations team, Eric's search had been restricted by several factors.

       He explained that the factors of terrain, the threat of wild animals, weather and tidal conditions at the location made the search operation difficult.

       "Until now, the search operation has not found any clues and it was stopped at 6 pm Saturday (March 19).

       "The investigation team will continue to focus on scientific investigations to unravel the available clues," he said in a statement here Saturday.

       ACP Ashmon said the police also welcomed any information from the public regarding the case.

       On March 14, police classified Eric's disappearance as a murder case with two suspects, namely the guardian couple who had been arrested and remanded for further investigation.

       Eric was reported missing from a house in the Bintawa residential area here earlier on March 7. - Bernama