The Malaysian Insight

LOH Siew Hong has quit her job as an assistant chef in Genting Highlands to be closer to her three children to make up for their three-year separation.

The 34-year-old single mother told The Malaysian Insight that she plans to set up a food truck business.

Loh said her boss was understanding of her situation and accepted her resignation letter.

Yayasan Chow Kit founder Hartini Zainudin is currently raising funds to help Loh with her new venture and her children’s education.

Hartini has also arranged for volunteers to tutor the children to help them catch up with their studies.

Loh said she is saving up any money she has to support herself and her children until her food truck business kicks off.

“I plan to sell ais kacang, cendol and fruit cocktails in my food truck around Kuala Lumpur,” she said, adding that it will take one year to get back on her feet.

Hartini’s online fundraiser has already collected RM15,850.

Loh expressed her gratitude to those who offered assistance in rebuilding her family.

Since she was reunited with her children, they have been sharing key moments throughout their three-year separation.

Loh said her family has offered her moral support and helped her with transportation as she does not own a vehicle.

Last month, the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed Loh’s habeas corpus application to reclaim custody of her 14-year-old twin daughters and 10-year-old son.

The mother and her offspring were kept apart after the former moved into a government home for domestic abuse victims in 2019.

The children’s father converted them to Islam without their mother’s permission during their separation, and they were then cared for by a non-governmental organisation in Penang. – March 3, 2022.