Indira 'devastated' over another mother's rights denied

 

M Indira Gandhi has expressed devastation over developments surrounding fellow mother Loh Siew Hong’s plight to reunite with her three children after they were taken away from her and converted to Islam without her consent.

In a case similar to her own, Indira said that she had been following the reports and had texted Loh (above) to “not lose hope” as the single mother tries to get her children back from the Perlis Welfare Department.

“It is so devastating to know a mother's right has been denied.

“Really sad to see this case that even though the mother got custody (of her children), she can’t even meet them.

“Being a Muslim is another matter. As a mother, she has all the rights to see her children no matter what and since the children are held by the authorities - whatever authorities they are - (they) should follow what the court has ruled,” she told Malaysiakini yesterday.

Loh Siew Hong

Indira contended that it would be a different scenario if the children were with their father - however, Loh’s three children are with neither of their parents.

As a mother, Indira had faced a similar situation as Loh. Her daughter, Prasana Diksa, was an infant when her father Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, previously named K Pathmanathan, took her away in 2009 after converting to Islam.

Riduan and Indira were later engaged in a tightly watched interfaith custody battle after he unilaterally converted Prasana and their two other children to Islam.

In 2018, the Federal Court unanimously ruled that unilateral conversions of children are unlawful as such decisions need the permission of both parents.

Govt should intervene

Observing Loh’s case, Indira expressed that the government should intervene.

“My blood boils when I see all this. I’m so distressed and it’s like what I have been through in the past 10 years.

“It's totally unfair,” said Indira, adding that even speaking on the matter made her feel like crying.

Loh was briefly reunited with her children at the Kangar district police headquarters (IPD) in Perlis on Monday (Feb 14), after her then-husband Nagahswaran Muniandy took them away and unilaterally converted them to Islam three years ago.

The three children - 14-year-old twin girls and a 10-year-old boy - are currently in the care of the Perlis Welfare Department, pending the outcome of a habeas corpus application set for Feb 21 at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (right) with Loh’s twin girls

Yesterday, Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said there would be no issue if Loh's children wanted to return to their mother, but he claimed that the children are unwilling to do so.

Loh and Nagahswaran separated in March 2019 and subsequently, her children were taken from her.

It was reported that Nagahswaran abducted the three children in Loh’s absence to be converted to Islam and he placed them in an Islamic centre in Perlis.

He is now in prison for a drug-related offence. - Mkini