Friday March 1, 2013

Baby joy turns into a nightmare

By KIATISAK CHUA
kiatisak@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Ang (not his real name) thought it was a blessing when his son-in-law adopted a baby boy some nine years ago.

The family adopted another child at the end of last year.

However, their happiness was short-lived when Ang’s son-in-law was arrested under Ops Pintas Sayang I and II in a crackdown against a child trafficking syndicate early this year.

He said they had no idea anything was amiss in the adoption process as they were given all the necessary documents.

“I was shocked when my son-in-law was detained by the police.

“He told me the adoption was done in a proper manner as there were papers and documents to sign,” said Ang, adding that he felt sorry to see his son-in-law being handcuffed and taken to court.

“It never crossed our minds that becoming parents to two children and providing them with a home and better life would turn out to be a crime.”

He said the biggest impact, however, would be on the children, who were separated from their adoptive parents.

“They would definitely be traumatised after they were taken away.”

Ang said his grandchildren did not know that they were adopted.

Ang’s son-in-law has since been released from police custody.

Their two adopted children have also been returned to them.

The adopted children will, however, still be supervised by the authorities.

“We hope everything will return to normal soon,” said Ang.