SINGAPORE - A Swiss woman, who was on a student exchange programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and had reportedly gone missing in Thailand, has been found.

MyPaper reported yesterday that Ms Tscherina Nora Janisch, 22, had not been heard from since Dec 22.

An NUS spokesman told The Straits Times last night: "Our partner university informed us that Ms Tscherina Nora Janisch has contacted the Swiss Embassy."

Her mother Lisa and someone called Stephanie Kuhn had posted appeals for help on Facebook and travel forums.

The posts said she entered Thailand early last month and was last heard from on Dec 22. She usually contacts her family on a weekly basis but their attempts to contact her via phone, e-mail and Facebook had been unsuccessful.

An NUS spokesman confirmed that she had been an exchange student with the university and that her exchange programme had ended. She was reportedly studying in NUS from August last year and stayed at the University Town's Cinnamon College.

Facebook posts appealing for information on her whereabouts had also been circulating among NUS students.

Her apartment mate, undergraduate Amylia Lee, 22, said she believes Ms Janisch had been travelling alone. Describing her as the "sporty sort", Ms Lee, a Singaporean, added: "It's common for exchange students to go backpacking across South-east Asia. We were worried for her safety and we are relieved that she's been found."

Ms Lee added that she often saw Ms Janisch chatting with her family via the Internet, and that it remains a mystery why she had been uncontactable for so long.

goyshiyi@sph.com.sg

melodyz@sph.com.sg



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