Monday January 21, 2013

I was wrong to leave my children alone, says William's mum

> Reports by EILEEN NG, AUSTIN CAMOENS and PATRICK LEE

KUALA LUMPUR: “Please forgive me. I was wrong to leave my children alone.”

This was the tearful plea of Goh Ying Ying, the mother of six-year-old William Yau Zhen Zhong, who has been missing since last Wednesday night.

“I am not angry at what the public is saying and I accept that I made a mistake. I hope good people will take care of my child and send him back to me as soon as possible,” she said in between sobs at a press conference yesterday at the MCA Public Complaints and Services Department.

William's father Yau Kok Kang, who sat next to her, looked dazed and kept silent, and was seen occasionally hugging his wife.

Goh and Yau have been flooded with phone calls and SMSes that mainly offered sympathy while others scolded them for leaving their three children, Eric, William and Cindy inside their car while they went to a Putra Heights electrical appliances store.

“One man called me on Sunday at 5am, and said he would give me back my son if I sent him naked photos of myself,” she said.

William had got out of the car to look for his parents. When the couple returned, he was already gone.

Since then, the Yau family has been tirelessly looking for him, with neighbours and friends printing thousands of flyers about the little boy.

Malaysians from all quarters are rallying around the family to help them find William.

“He's a good, little boy,” said family friend and babysitter Alec Lee, 53, outside the Yaus' home in Shah Alam.

“If you ask him to do anything, he will listen to you.”

“It's really sad. They made a single mistake, and they're paying for it.” said Yau's neighbour, businessman K. Auaduer.

“It could have happened to anyone.”

News

Monday January 21, 2013

I was wrong to leave my children alone, says William's mum

> Reports by EILEEN NG, AUSTIN CAMOENS and PATRICK LEE