JOHOR BARU: There has been a dramatic twist in the mystery surrounding a 21-year-old woman from Johor, who went missing for over five months, and was later discovered safe and thriving in Xi’an, China.
Liew Jia Yee, who had seemingly vanished without a trace, has been working as a piano teacher in the Chinese city for the past three months.
According to Johor Bersatu associate wing’s complaints bureau chief Lim Thow Siang, Liew made the decision to leave without informing her mother, citing personal struggles and a desire for a new beginning.
“Liew told me she wanted a fresh start and moved to China to relieve herself of stress caused by family issues.
“She felt her mother no longer cared for her and believed it wouldn’t matter where she went,” Lim said when contacted yesterday.
After news of her disappearance circulated widely, Liew decided to contact her mother Pau Yiew Ping, 47, yesterday.
“Some of her friends saw the news and reached out to her via social media. This prompted Liew to inform her mother of her location,” Lim said.
He also confirmed he spoke to Liew to ensure she was not under any duress or threat in China.
“She appears to be doing well,” he added.
Liew plans to return to Johor for Chinese New Year and hopes to bring her mother back to China with her after the celebrations, said Lim.
It was reported that Pau, a single mother, had been losing sleep over her daughter’s absence.
Pau said the last time she saw Liew was in August last year after her daughter left for a new job in Singapore.
“My daughter had worked as a piano teacher in Singapore for about two years before losing her job in June. She returned to Johor while looking for other job opportunities and later told me she had secured an admin job in Singapore.
“On Aug 28, she left for the new job, and that was the last time I saw her,” she added.
With the mother and daughter set to reunite, Pau expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped in finding her daughter.
