KUALA LUMPUR – Single mother Loh Siew Hong’s three children are set to be interviewed by the high court judge this afternoon.
This will take place as a part of the court’s proceedings involving the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council’s (MAIPs) bid to provide Islamic education to the children.
High court judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz, who made the decision, said that her previous experience as a family court judge compelled her to interview the children as part of her practice involving such cases.
Earlier, she heard MAIPs’ application to vary the custody order, which is to secure the children to provide them with Islamic lessons on top of bringing them to mosques for Islamic celebrations – whilst Loh remains as their sole custodian.
Lawyers representing both parties, namely Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla representing MAIPs and J. Gunamalar representing Loh did not object to the judge’s request to interview the children.
Hayatul then proceeded to hear arguments from both parties before adjourning, stating that she will resume the hearing following the interview with the 15-year-old twin girls and a 12-year-old boy.
Loh, who is a Hindu, is still challenging the validity and legality of her children’s conversion to Islam, with the Court of Appeal set to hear the appeal on October 19.
On June 15 last year, the Family Civil Court denied MAIPs’ application to intervene in the custody case involving three children.
However, on February 7, the Court of Appeal allowed MAIPs’ appeal to intervene in the custody case so that the state Islamic body would have legal standing to apply to vary the custody order of the three children.
Prior to this, Loh, 35, was granted sole custody, care, and control over the children from her former husband Muhammad Nagahswaran Muniandy, 35, during her divorce petition in 2021.
In 2019, Nagahswaran had reportedly taken their three children away while Loh was hospitalised with injuries allegedly caused by the former.
He then subsequently embraced Islam, converting the three children into the faith without Loh’s consent in 2020.
Following legal battles which ensued since, Loh managed to secure the custody of her children from the Social Welfare Department after the high court allowed her habeas corpus application on February 21, last year. – September 27, 2023