SEPANG: Three young Malaysians return home from Pakistan after being separated from their mother for 15 years, with the assistance from Foreign Affairs Ministry and DAP’s national public complaints bureau.

Chong Soon May, 51, shed tears at the KL International Airport to receive her three children, now aged between 19 and 24.

On the request of her boyfriend, Chong took her children to meet his family in Pakistan in 2007.

The children continued their studies in Pakistan while she returned to Malaysia due to expiry of her visa.

Chong later returned to Pakistan for a total of four times to apply for permanent residence for her children but all her efforts were unsuccessful.

The three children were living in Pakistan without valid documents.

Chong last saw them seven years ago and since then she has been communicating with them through video calls.

Finally, Chong decided to bring her children back to Malaysia but was required to pay a hefty fine of RM120,000 for her children’s overstay in Pakistan.

Unable to settle the fine, Chong sought help from Ampang municipal councilor Yew Jia Haur who is also the head of DAP’s national public complaints bureau, and Lai Chun Chian, personal assistant to Lim Lip Eng, Member of Parliament for Kepong, in May.

Lim then wrote to Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah for assistance on May 30 this year.

Chong thanked the ministry and DAP for their help so that her three children could be exempted from paying the heavy fine for overstaying in Pakistan.