'Abducted' boy tracked down by Wisma Putra

2009/11/11

By Kristina George

PUTRAJAYA: Wisma Putra has tracked down the five-year old Malaysian boy "abducted" by his Dutch father, and is now in the midst of discussing his return with the Belgian authorities.

Foreign Ministry consular division under-secretary Ayauf Bachi said five Malaysian missions, including those from Thailand and Netherlands, started searching for Frank Theodorus Van De Ven @ Fridaus, 40, following the dis appearance of Ferris Mokhtar whose custody was officially given to his mother, Elis Syuhaila Mokhtar yesterday.

Frank took off with Ferris in March when he was sharing custodial rights of Ferris.

Frank and Elis filed for divorce in January last year and took turns every week to look after Ferris until March 5 when Van de Ven failed to return him.

"The Belgian authorities finally notified the Malaysian mission in Brussels of Frank's whereabouts in September," he said.

Ayauf told the New Straits Times that the Belgian Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Aid Ministry had served a summon and a warrant of arrest issued by the Selangor Syariah Judiciary Department to Frank on Oct 16.

Elis forwarded the warrant of arrest to the ministry in September for the document to be served to Frank via Belgian authorities.

Wisma Putra, however, was told that Elis would need to hire a legal prosecutor in Belgium to press charges against Frank for breaking the previous joint custody agreement.

Elis had been notified of procedure. However, Wisma Putra has yet to hear from her if she needed them to help facilitate the process.

Ayauf said both governments were working hard to resolve this matter quickly.

A Wisma Putra senior official said although the boy's passport and travel documents were with his mother, an emergency travel certificate would be issued by the Malaysian mission in Brussels to bring him home safely.

A police source also revealed that this was not the first time a child had been smuggled "out of the country by a foreign parent without travel documents.

"Usually the home country of the parent allows the child to be brought in,” the source said.

Ferris Mokhtar Van de Ven was taken away by his father and his mother believes that they are both living in Belgium.