IPOH, Malaysia: Family members of 96-year-old Leong Hen hardly raised their eyebrows each time he went missing for several days on end as he would eventually find his way home.

This time around, however, they have pressed the panic button as he has not returned home for almost two weeks.

His son Sai Kow, 65, said Hen left the family home in Taman Lapangan Perdana in Ipoh on May 19 without telling anyone.

He said frantic searches in the city revealed that his father stayed in a hotel for two nights before checking out.

"We have gone to all his regular hangouts and even to his adopted son's house in Menglembu but he was nowhere to be found," Sai Kow said at the MCA headquarters in Ipoh.

He said the family received a phone call a few days ago informing them that his father was sent to the Tanjung Rambutan police station.

"But by the time we reached the police station, my father had left in a taxi.

"He called me from a public phone later in the day and told me that he would not be returning home yet."

Sai Kow appealed to those who knew of his father's whereabouts to contact him at 012-5531927.

"We are worried about his health. We hope he will return soon to sort out several urgent matters."

He said his father had several hundred ringgit with him when he left the family home.