Father sells children to pay off his gambling debts

To clear his gambling debts, this 25-year-old man sold his three children.


Before that, the unnamed man told their mother, Ms Liew Kim Yow, that someone had offered money to adopt their children.
According to The Star, Ms Liew, 27, told the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Public Complaints and Services Department in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: "He told me before that someone had offered him RM50,000 (S$20,000) to adopt our son and RM20,000 (S$8,000) for our eldest daughter. I told him that no matter how poor we were, we could not sell our children."
She referred to the father as her boyfriend, as they were not legally married. They had been living together in Serendah, Hulu Selangor, for 7 years.
In September 2011, Ms Liew's boyfriend had suggested that they let his mother take care of their 5-year-old daughter and two sons, aged one and three, while they worked in Singapore. She agreed.
Before this, Ms Liew stayed home to care for the children while her boyfriend worked as a lorry driver.
Three months later, they still had not moved to Singapore, and her boyfriend kept giving excuses when she wanted to see their children.
The suspicious Ms Liew finally lodged a police report on Dec 23 last year.
That was when she found out he had claimed she was missing since May, forcing him to put up their children for adoption.
Her boyfriend, a compulsive gambler, had his debts to loan sharks paid off by his parents before.
MCA Public Complaints and Services Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong urged the adopters to contact his office immediately.
Mr Chong told The Star: “As there were no court orders for these adoptions, they are not legal. If the adoptive parents refuse to come forward, we will bring them to court."
The man has since vanished and attempts to contact him have failed