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KUALA LUMPUR – It was an occasion full of emotion when single mother Loh Siew Hong’s habeas corpus application was granted by the high court, allowing her to be reunited with her three children after being separated in 2019.
Just as judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah delivered his decision this morning, a visibly overwhelmed Loh was seen breaking into tears while seated at the courtroom’s public gallery.
Her lawyers Shamsher Singh Tindh and A. Srimurugan were also seen fist-bumping each other as Sequerah announced the judgment, in obvious elation.
Reporters outside the courtroom were informed that Loh and the children would not be addressing the media today, as they were overcome with emotion.
Among those supporting Loh in the case was David Marshel, an activist and a Seberang Prai councillor, who said that a separate press conference would be held by Loh at a later date.
“At this time, the mother and children have some documentation to settle, and they are also very emotional right now,” he said, adding that the children are traumatised by the separation and events leading up to the case.
“So, let us allow them some time and space before they speak to the media. Not today, but on a later date,” he said.
Marshel, who is also president of Malaysia Tamil Kural, also expressed delight at the decision in Loh’s favour today, saying justice has been upheld.
“What we wanted was to unite the mother with the children, which has happened today, so we want to thank the lawyers and the high court for the decision, as well as the rest of society who were concerned about her situation,” he said.
No verification from religious authorities yet on status of children’s conversion: lawyer
When asked about developments concerning the children’s reported unilateral conversion to Islam, Shamsher explained that his office has yet to receive verification from the Perlis, Penang and Kedah religious authorities on the status of their religion.
“Until today, I have not received a response from the religious offices that can verify if the children were registered as Muslim converts.
“As long as I do not receive a letter, there will be no judicial review into the conversion, and the issue will not arise,” he said.
Earlier today, the high court here granted Loh’s habeas corpus application seeking the release of her three children – two twin girls aged 14 and a boy aged 10.
Also present in court today were DAP’s Ronnie Liu and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy, who both expressed their happiness for Loh and for the rule of law being upheld.
“We are grateful for the court’s decision today. This means the issue of the mother not loving her children or not caring for them and such is irrelevant.
“Underage children should be under the care and custody of their parents, especially their mother. These are the rights of the mother, and no one can just simply deny her that,” said Ramasamy.
Loh’s plight recently made headlines after she was allegedly refused permission to meet her children, whom she had been trying to locate for the past three years since being discharged from the hospital.
She had lost contact with the three children while undergoing treatment for injuries purportedly stemming from an abusive marriage with her ex-husband, Nagashwaran Muniandy.
It was during this void that Nagashwaran is said to have unilaterally converted his children into Islam, following his own conversion, without Loh’s knowledge.
Following the change of faith, Nagashwaran was then convicted and imprisoned for narcotics-related charges and continues to be incarcerated until November this year.
Loh has since divorced Nagashwaran and only managed to meet her children thrice over the last two weeks, before being reunited with them today.
On February 12, she lodged a police report at the Seberang Prai Utara district police headquarters in Bertam, Penang.
She alleged that she was given the runaround by police when seeking for them to enforce a court order in March last year that gave her full custody over the children. – The Vibes, February 21, 2022
