Press conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang in PL on Sunday, 25.5.1986:
Another forced conversion to Islam case- Tang Yu Fong, 18 of Sitiawan.
I am bringing to public knowledge another forced conversion to Islam case, where the parents and family nearly lost a daughter. This concerned Tang Yu Fong, (born on 28th June 1967). Formerly working as a wrapper at Sitiawan.
On February 5, 1986, Tang, of Kampung Bintang, Sitiawan, who is ninth in a family of five brothers and five sisters, disappeared from home. The family reported to the police of her whereabouts, the family was never told.
Tang Yu Fong says that on Feb. 5, she was given something to eat by a police corporal whom she had known for about a month, and she lost her own free will. On 6th February, the police corporal took her to the police station at Batu 9, Sitiawan, to sign a report that she was leaving home on her own free will. She was given drinks everyday, and also something for her bath, as well as a black-cloth which she was told will prevent her parents from finding her.
She was taken down to Kuala Lumpur for a month in February 12, staying in the home of the police corporal. She was not allowed to wear Chinese dress when she went out, having to put on the tudong.
She went back to the KCorporal’s Sitiawan home in March. She wanted to see her sister’s children but was not allowed by the corporal, who said there would be a lot of trouble if her brothers find her.
In early May, Yu Fong’s brother, Tang Yu Ming, found from the Sitiawan Kathi’s office that her sister had been registered as a convert, taking the name of Faridah binti Abdullah.
He approved the MCA who took own the particulars. The next day, two inspectors asked the parents to go to the Lumut Police station, where they met the daughter. The MCA said that there was nothing more they could do, and they must sort out the problem themselves.
After a lot of persuasion, Yu Fong agreed to return home, and at the house, she agreed after pleas and tears from the parents, brothers and sisters that she return home to stay.
But when he returned to the Corporal’s house to collect her belongings, she again changed her mind, when the corporal’s family refused to let her return. After a lot of persuasion she again return home.
When the family went to the police station to ask for her belongings to be returned, the OCPD insisted that Tang Yu Fong should appear in the police station herself. The corporal later came to the police station, gave her something blackish to drink, and she was again ‘charmed’ and refused to go back. She even lodged a police report at the prodding of the Corporal that she did not want to go back. After considerable tusstle, she ‘fainted’ and was brought home.
Since then, her ‘charm’ had been removed, and what was happened is a nightmare for Tang Yu Fong. I find the number of such incidents a great threat to social harmony, family integrity and national unity, and call on the Prime Minister to give personal attention to put a stop to such anti-national and unMalaysian activities grossly infringing not only religious freedom but individual liberties.