A man is out to make this Chinese New Year reunion the best ever by trying to meet his own family which gave him up for adoption about 70 years ago.
Eddie Ng Hing Loi, who now resides in Johor Bahru said his birth name is Chue Joo Huat.
“I have spent decades trying to locate my biological family since finding out I was adopted when I was 13.
The 71-year-old said back then, he came across his birth certificate before applying for his identification card and noticed that there were two names on the document as well as a different father’s name.
“I pestered my parents about it and they finally told me that I was actually adopted. However, they refused to elaborate or tell me the reason behind it – I think they wanted to keep their promise to my birth parents,” he said.
He said his adoptive parents relocated several times between the Klang Valley and Johor but he never gave up looking for his blood family even after he started my own family.
According to reports in The Star, Ng, who works as a centre manager at a shopping mall in Batu Pahat, said he tried looking for his birth parents with the few details on his birth certificate such as their names Chue Ah Kow and Tai Jok Boi.
“I have been to the National Registration Department, Hospital Sultanah Aminah where I was born, and Hainan associations in different states as it was written on my birth certificate that my parents were of Hainanese descent.
“Aside from asking some friends in China for help, I also sought help from newspaper agencies but to no avail,” he said.
Ng said the lack of his birth parents’ identification number made it difficult for government agencies to locate them.
“Initially, I felt resentment towards my birth parents because I was upset that they left me.
“As I got older, I told myself that they must have had their own reasons; maybe they did not earn much as rubber tappers and probably could not afford having too many children.
“After that I felt more at peace,” said Ng, who has two children and one grandchild, adding that his own family was supportive of his efforts as they understood that it was close to his heart.
“Whenever I read news about families reuniting after decades of separation, it gives me hope. So, I keep telling myself not to give up looking for them.
“My final wish is to find my blood relatives. I am optimistic about finding them one day,” he said.
