Man given to wrong parents at birth files suit

NSTOnline, June 2, 2007

Zulhadi Omar with his biological father Teyo Ma Liong (left) and mother Lim Sik Hai.






KUALA LUMPUR: An odd-job worker, who was given to the wrong parents at birth, has filed a suit in the High Court seeking a declaration from the director-general of the National Registration Department that he is a Buddhist.

Zulhadi Omar, 29, said his name should have been Eddie Teyo. He filed the suit at the High Court registry through Messrs Gobind Singh Deo and Co yesterday.

In his statement of claims, Zulhadi said he was born at the Batu Pahat district hospital on July 17, 1978.

His birth certificate registered Omar Saim and Hasnah Salleh as his parents and his identification card states his religion as Islam.

Upon checks, he found out that on the same day he was born, another couple, Teyo Ma Liong and Lim Sik Hai, also gave birth to a baby boy.
He subsequently had a DNA test and on Feb 12, 2007, learnt he was the son of Teyo and Lim.

It was reported on Feb 3 that Teyo and his wife had approached Zulhadi in 1998 when one of the couple’s daughters spotted him at a shopping centre and saw that he had the same features as Teyo.