BUTTERWORTH – The mother of three children currently embroiled in a custody dispute has claimed that the personnel from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) are preventing her from visiting the trio at the Rumah Sinar Harapan children’s home in Jitra, Kedah.
Speaking to the media during a press conference at the Malaysian Tamilar Kural office at Taman Inderawasih, Prai, today, Loh Siew Hong questioned why the SWD decided to suddenly prevent her from seeing her children.
“I received a WhatsApp message asking me not to visit my children, citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Yesterday, they asked me undergo a RTK test before visiting the children, which I underwent. I was about to head to Jitra when I received the message,” she said.
Loh claimed that she received the message from a SWD officer named Isma Lisa Ishak.
The divorced mother was supposed to visit her 14-year-old twin daughters and 10-year-old son who are currently being temporarily sheltered at the children’s home.
“The welfare officer was so helpful yesterday, but her tone was different today when she prevented me from visiting the children.
“Why are they purposely creating hurdles for me to see my children? I am tired of running around from department to department to be with my children,” she said, tearing up when the subject regarding her children was broached.
“My children asked me to convert to Islam, I told them OK, but let them come to me, why torture me to this extent to be with my children?” she added.
Meanwhile, non-governmental organisation Malaysian Tamilar Kural president David Marshel called on the authorities to stop playing with the single mother’s emotions.
“Yesterday, officers from various departments were helpful, but today they behave differently.
“Are they being influenced by the religious department or by Zahirah Nanthakumari Abdullah who had earlier kept the children at a madrasah in Perlis?” he asked.
Marshel said the SWD had obtained interim custody to shelter the children pending the hearing of Loh’s habeas corpus application on February 21.
Despite the interim custody order, Marshel pointed out that the department is at fault by preventing the mother from seeing her children.
As such, Marshel said they will plan to protest in front of the children’s home if the administration continues to block Loh from seeing her children.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court is set to hear the habeas corpus application on Monday to decide on the custody of the children.
Loh filed a habeas corpus application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on February 13 to compel the return of her three children into her custody, as she alleges that they are being held illegally by the Perlis Islamic Religious Affairs Department.
Her counsel Shamsher Singh Thind will be seeking for the application to be heard urgently this week as Loh is worried that her children may go missing the longer she waits.
Loh had later agreed with the Social Welfare Department to have interim custody of her children, pending the habeas corpus hearing.
On March 15 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court issued an order giving Loh sole custody of her children. – The Vibes, February 15, 2022
