Eighteen years later, a Malaysian woman has finally been reunited with her family after following her husband to Lombok, Indonesia, to start a new life with their daughter.
What was expected to be a happy new beginning turned into a nightmare when her husband married another woman. Left alone, she had no choice but to work to support her family. In Lombok, after her husband abandoned her, the single mother, Norida Akmal, worked as a sweeper and lived in poverty.
Norida endured years of hardship after being deserted
According to a post shared by Lenggong Member of Parliament and Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, efforts involving Wisma Putra through the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta and the Malaysian Immigration Department successfully brought Norida and her child back to Malaysia.
A series of photos on Dr Shamsul’s Facebook page showed Norida in tears upon her return.
“I was informed that she was living in deprivation, her children were unable to continue school, and she had been abandoned,” he said.
Norida has two children: Nur Fateen Akmadiana, who was born in Malaysia and holds Malaysian citizenship, and Muhamad Sabani Daniel, who is an Indonesian citizen as he was born there.
Previously, media reports stated that Norida’s family had appealed to the government for help in bringing her home after she was stranded in Lombok for 18 years. She was also alleged to be living in fear due to death threats from her ex-husband.
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