Dutch adoptee afraid time running out in search for birth parents

A Dutch woman adopted in Hong Kong in the 1960s has turned to the Sunday Morning Post for help to find her birth parents after attempts to trace her roots through official channels failed for a second time.

Anita Verhagen, now 48, was adopted at 10 months old in 1967 by a Dutch couple living in Shouson Hill. She was born in Tsan Yuk Hospital on June 4, 1966, to 24-year-old Lo Siu Ngor, who lived at 4 Marsh Road, Wan Chai. The girl's name at birth was Mei Chong.

Despite living a happy life in the Netherlands, she has wanted to trace her birth parents for as long as she can remember, as she feels something is missing.

"It's almost like having a scar on your soul, you're not complete," she said.

Her latest attempt to trace them through the Red Cross - which offers help to adoptees trying to find their origins - failed to provide new leads and she was told that the case had reached the two-year time limit and was now closed.

"I understand that organisations like the Social Welfare Department or Red Cross have to work through the proper channels, but that doesn't always lead to a solution," Verhagen said.