By Stephen Then

MIRI: The two runaway siblings, who were rescued by a Good Samaritan here, have been sent to the Miri Hospital for a check-up after bruises and scars were found all over their bodies.

The two - a 12-year-old girl and her eight-year-old brother, were taken to the hospital by an investigating officer from the Miri Central police station yesterday.

The Year Six and Year Two pupils ran away from their home on Monday and were rescued by a factory manager who found them wandering in an industrial estate on Thursday.

The siblings told police they were beaten by their grandparents, with whom they had been staying since their parents abandoned them and moved to Sibu.

On Thursday, police referred them to the Miri Methodist Church Children's Home for temporary shelter and yesterday handed them over to the children?s ward of the hospital for medical examination and treatment.

A source told The Star that hospital staff found the children to be very frightened and "touchy' when they tried to examine their bodies.

"The two kids are under a lot of emotional distress from their ordeal," said the source.

Meanwhile, the children's father has been summoned to the police station here to have his statement taken.

The man, in his early 40s, has not been allowed to see his children yet, pending further investigations.

Miri police chief Asst Comm Jamaluddin Ibrahim said the two have been taken into protective custody, and their claims were being investigated. -The Star/Asia News Network