IPOH: An Octogenarian has not given up hope and is still searching high and low for her two children that she has not seen or heard from for more than 55 years.
All Che'ah Awang, 86, has is a black and white picture of them which is the only thing that she has left of them.
Even though they have been apart for a very long time, Che'ah refuses to give up and she is still working hard to try and locate her son, Muhammad Zain Salleh who is now 67-years-old.
However, she cannot remember her daughter's name and age as she was brought up by her mother in-law after giving birth to her.
"After my ex-husband and I divorced, my son was looked after by my foster mother, while my daughter was cared for by my mother in-law. I have not met my children since then.
"I moved to Singapore and then to England in 1973 to work. While I was over there, my son sent me a picture of the two of them.
"That same year, my son contacted me by phone not only to ask how I was doing but also to ask for my blessings to get married.
He had also told me that his younger sister missed me and wanted to see me, however I lost the address and phone number which I wrote on a piece of paper," she told Harian Metro when met at the Ipoh branch of the New Straits Times Press here yesterday (Feb 28).
Che'ah said that she made the decision to return to Malaysia in 2012 and she resides in Aulong, Taiping.
Since then she hopes that her quest and search for more than 55 years will be known by both her children or close relatives.
I just have a black and white picture of them as a guide and reference.
"I want to meet them and hug them tightly before I close my eyes forever," said an emotional Che'ah.
According to Che'ah, she was contacted by a few individuals last year, claiming that they knew both her children.
"Each individual does not want to tell me where my child is, instead they ask me to transfer money first into their bank accounts. I do not believe them and I feel that they are trying to take advantage of me and deceive me," she said.
Meanwhile taxi driver A Benjamin, 59, expressed his concern for Che'ah who has been separated for so long from her children.
According to him, the first time he met Che'ah was at the Taiping Bus Terminal when she had returned to Malaysia.
"Since then, she will call me to ask for help to go to the offices of a few local media agencies for her to spread the word.
"Before this, Che'ah's story was featured in the local news, but there was no positive response received. I just hope that she can be reunited with her son.
"I feel sorry for Che'ah, so I did not take any payment or fee from her for the past eleven years," said the Armed Forces retiree.