The vanilla farm that's saving lives: Inside Malaysia's revolutionary ‘halfway farm' for former death row inmates
KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Just a year ago, Henry Wong, was staring down at a death sentence.
He was convicted for drug trafficking and at the time he did not see a way out from behind prison bars.
Today, Wong is an intern at Vanilla Impact Story (VIS) Sdn Bhd — a vanilla 'halfway farm' that was created by co-founder Alfred Phua.
'Before my release, I was told that I could be sent to do farming.
'I wasn't sure what it was, but I wanted to try it, I want to change my life, start over,' Wong told Malay Mail in an interview here.
On July 4, 2023, Malaysia's mandatory capital punishment was abolished.
This gave Wong and other death row inmates a chance to appeal for resentencing which included commuting their death sentence to prison terms.
After serving five years in prison, the 32-year-old was released and was offered a placement at VIS.
It has been nine months since he was released from prison.
'It was very tough in the beginning, because I had no experience in farming, but now I have learned so much,' Wong said.
Turning a new leaf
Phua who has years of experience working with troubled youths, said these youths need more than just counselling — they need help to return to the society.
'You can kick the drug using habit, but to integrate them back to the society is difficult. For them to find a job is hard.
'We work with the Prisons Department in Sibu, Sarawak and drug rehab centres and receive recommendation of releases — meaning they've finished the programme, but where do they go?' Phua said.
What is a halfway farm
So Phua and his business partner created a halfway farm, they employed some of the prison releases to work in the farm as a community.
'Our intern, he (Wong) is one them — he was involved in drug trafficking with his friends — four of them faced the death sentence — and was waiting for his time.
Alfred Phua tends to the vanilla plants. Phua, who has years of experience working with troubled youths, said these youths need more than just counselling — they need help to return to the society. — Picture courtesy of Yayasan Hasanah
'But he turned around last year. We took him and sent him to the vanilla farm in Permatang Pauh, Penang,' Phua said.
Going by the his own 3Rs — rehabilitating, reconnecting (back to the society) and reconstructing their lives — Phua said by following this, he hopes to train more youths to pick up farming, in this context, cultivating vanilla.
'My dream is for him not just to work here, but to be a business partner — an agripreneur who can eventually train others.
'He's 32 now, and hopefully one day the younger ones will in future take over the work that we've started,' Phua said.
It is rare to find halfway farms, Phua said, and different from halfway houses that are in the city because in cities there are still temptations.
'My Sibu partner serves as councillor so it is through his contacts we receive our workers who used to be in prison.
'We don't take everybody. Because some of them have seen big money, so farming is still tough for them.
'Out of the four, only Wong had decided that he wants to change his life,' he said.
Phua admitted that it is a tough battle with drug use, especially modern drugs as it affects a person's mental health severely.
'Now with modern drugs, they are gone in one or two years. In the past, I've dealt with heroin and opium users, they take it their whole life but they are still alive, but for Wong, he can maintain his sanity and that's a miracle.
'Kicking the drug is not a big issue, but rehabilitating them back into society and their family is hard and they already suffer very low self-esteem and social stigma,' he added.
Working as a social worker for the last 35 years, Phua had always touched base with the grassroots community — the bottom 40 income group, the poor and the marginalised.
'But because of the needs of the poor and marginalised are mainly in the rural areas and among urban poor, we started this natural farming programme,' said Phua.
Reaching out to others
Wong grew up being disgruntled and unhappy with his life: his parents were divorced and everyone around him had made fun of him.
He was brought up by his grandmother, and according to Wong, there was no one that guided him in his life.
Henry Wong, trainee for vanilla cultivation farming speaks during an interview with Malay Mail in Kuala Lumpur May 22, 2025. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
'I stopped going to school because my classmates were making fun of my parents, I really hated my parents for bringing me into this world at the time. Thinking about this led me to the drug world.
'I really hate myself for what I did. But I'm at peace now that I have a second shot at life. I'm very thankful that Alfred gave me this opportunity to start a new life.
'Yes, back then, I had a lot of money, I could basically buy anything I wanted but I was living in fear that one day I would be arrested, and then it happened,' Wong said.
In 2024, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail proposed that drug abusers be sent for rehabilitation instead of serving prison sentences.
According to Saifuddin, the amendment to the Drug Addicts (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983 aims to give drug users a second chance and help ease overcrowding in the country's 41 prisons — particularly for those jailed solely for drug use.
The amendments also take into account cases involving drug misuse, where the standard procedure involves arrest, a police investigation, and, upon sufficient evidence, prosecution and sentencing in court.
Under the new law, individuals who test positive for narcotics will be placed in treatment or rehabilitation programmes run by the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) or private drug rehabilitation centres.
The main aim of the new law is to shift from punitive measures to a diversion policy focused on rehabilitation.
On July 18, 2024, after the Drug Dependents (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act amendments were reviewed by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee, it was passed in Parliament.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Hamzah's mum-in-law dies in Ipoh house fire
The 9.19pm blaze left a bedroom on the lower floor of the double-storey house 80% destroyed. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The mother-in-law of opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin died in a fire at her home in Ipoh last night. Salmiah Nyakk Matt, 84, died in the 9.19pm blaze while Hamzah's father-in-law, Abdul Ghani Ngah, 83, is receiving medical treatment for breathing difficulties. Salmiah's body was discovered in a bedroom on the lower floor of the double-storey house, which was 80% destroyed by the fire, Kosmo reported. Ghani was in a room upstairs when the fire broke out. Four other family members, between 18 and 49 years of age, escaped unharmed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Hamzah, the Bersatu deputy president, is also the MP for Larut.
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Police launch probe as reckless Toyota Harrier SUV driver caught fleeing cops in Seberang Perai Selatan
SEBERANG PERAI, June 21 – The police said they have launched an investigation into a viral video showing a high-speed chase involving a patrol vehicle and a Toyota Harrier at the Jalan Paboi–Bukit Tambun junction yesterday morning. The 18-second video, which began circulating on Facebook, captured the SUV being driven recklessly while attempting to flee from the authorities around 11.15am on June 20. 'The incident involved a Toyota Harrier being driven recklessly and endangering other road users while attempting to evade the authorities,' Seberang Perai Selatan district police chief Superintendent Jay January Siowou said in a statement here. 'Dashcam footage of the incident has since gone viral on social media, prompting widespread public reaction.' Police said a report has been lodged, and investigations are ongoing under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant and Section 279 for reckless driving on a public road. He added that the Criminal Investigation Division of the district police headquarters is actively tracking down the suspect.
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Police hunt machete-wielding duo after failed shop robbery in Hulu Selangor
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Police are tracking down two individuals suspected of attempting an armed robbery at a shop in Hulu Selangor in the early hours of June 18. Hulu Selangor acting police chief DSP Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus said the suspects' actions were captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV), and the victim lodged a police report at 6.42am the same day. He said CCTV footage of the attempted robbery has since gone viral on social media. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects, dressed in black, wearing caps and face masks, and armed with machetes, tried to attack the victim using the weapon after allegedly entering the premises through the back door. 'The victim managed to scream for help, which caused the suspects to panic and flee the scene without taking anything,' he said in a statement yesterday. Mohd Asri said efforts were underway to track down the two suspects, believed to be local men, and the case is being investigated under Section 393 of the Penal Code for attempted robbery. He urged members of the public with information on the case to contact the nearest police station, the Hulu Selangor District Police Headquarters at 03-60641132, or Investigating Officer Insp Muhammad Saful Abdul Rahman at 013-5547435. — Bernama
