GEORGE TOWN, Feb 16 — Hindu mother Loh Siew Hong said today she is trying to visit her three children again who were alleged to have been converted to Islam without her knowledge, at their temporary abode in Kedah after she was turned away yesterday.
The single mother who has sole court custody of the children said she was told by the Welfare Department that she may be able to see them for another two to three times before the end of this week.
The 35-year-old, who works as a chef, was denied access to her three children yesterday when she tried to visit them at a children's home under the Perlis Welfare Department.
Loh had allowed the Perlis Welfare Department to place her children in a children's home on February 14 pending her habeas corpus application for them to be officially handed back to her.
Yesterday, she was getting ready to visit her children when the welfare officer informed her that she was not allowed to visit them due to an increase in Covid-19 cases.
Teary-eyed at yesterday’s press conference, Loh pled openly with the Welfare Department officials to allow her access to her children for the rest of this week so that they can get to know each other again after being separated for three years.
"After that, the welfare officer called to tell me that I can only visit them once a week but I appealed to her that I only have one week before my habeas corpus application is heard on February 21 so she told me that she will try to let me visit them for another two to three times this week," she told Malay Mail today.
She said she is hopeful that she will be able to visit them today and has even bought her children's favourite food such as chicken rice to bring with her.
"The officer said they will send me the approvals from the welfare department to visit them so I am now waiting for the approval. I hope I can get it soon because I am prepared to go immediately," she said.
Loh, a chef in Genting Highlands, was reunited with her three children, a 10-year-old son and 14-year-old twin daughters, on February 14 at the Kangar district police headquarters.
In the emotional meeting, witnessed by the police, officers from the Perlis Welfare Department and Perlis Islamic Religious Department, Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy and Tamilar Kural Malaysia president David Marshel, the children were too overcome with emotion and stressed over the whole situation to go with Loh.
Loh had allowed the children to be placed under the welfare department's care to give them time to calm down and until her habeas corpus application hearing on February 21.
It was agreed, during that meeting, that only she will be allowed sole access to her children while they are in a children's home in Jitra, Kedah under the welfare department.
Loh's children were taken away and hidden from her by her ex-husband while she was hospitalised back in 2019.
Her children were subsequently taken by a third party from an Islamic non-governmental organisation when her ex-husband was jailed for a drug offence and the children were allegedly unilaterally converted to Islam without Loh's consent and knowledge.
Loh was granted full custody of all her three children by the High Court Kuala Lumpur in January last year.
