Every day at dusk, the heart of the mother of missing autistic boy Yu Man-hon sinks as her hopes of finding her son that day dim in the sunset. It has been almost three years since Man-hon disappeared on the mainland following an immigration blunder, but his mother, Yu Lai Wai-ling, 49, said her memories of the incident were as fresh as if it happened just yesterday. It was on August 24, 2000, that Man-hon ran away from his mother at Yau Ma Tei MTR station and later slipped across the Lowu border. Mainland officers asked their counterparts in Hong Kong to check on the boy but they sent him back to Shenzhen after failing to verify his identity. The boy, now aged 18 but with a mental age of two, has not been seen since. While the boy's parents have now won a compensation payout believed to be in the region of $2 million, Mrs Yu said their grief did not end with the conclusion of the legal battle. 'They said the sadness would fade as time passes, but to us, the longer the time the more we miss Man-hon,' Mrs Yu said, tears streaming down her face. 'My hopes of finding him rise every day at dawn. But my heart is racked with pain at sunset when I see that hope for the day is dashed. It is at this time that I miss Man-hon most.' Her thoughts for Man-hon are obvious in every corner of her home. Hanging at the centre of their living room is a large map of China, where she has searched in many of the provinces for her son. Pinned next to the map is a message she wrote saying: 'Man-hon, where are you? Mummy misses you very much. Please come home soon.' At the other end of the living room is a note from the boy's father, Yu Pui-lam: 'Man-hon, I miss you very, very much.' The note was written on Father's Day, 2001. In Man-hon's bedroom, everything is kept the same as it was on the last night he slept in his bed. Beneath his blanket is placed a piece of his clothing, a photocopy of his photographs and a few red packets containing blessings from gods. She said: 'When I miss him too much, I look at his photograph and chat with him. I ask where he is and tell him to be good. But I do this only when I'm alone at home as I don't want to let my husband and younger son know that I am upset. 'I know my husband misses him even more than me.' Mrs Yu still receives several calls a day from mainland residents who have spotted boys who look like Man-hon. Appeal notices are run in two Guangdong newspapers every week. A Guangdong Public Security officer gave Mrs Yu fresh hope this year when she said she had seen a young beggar with matted long hair who looked like Man-hon near the countryside outside Guangzhou. Mrs Yu later asked Hong Kong police to use the computer to update the Man-hon photograph in the appeal notices based on the descriptions of the officer. But the mother said there were also swindlers calling them in the middle of the night to extort money on the claim that their son is in their hands. Mrs Yu said adding to their grief was the unwillingness of the Hong Kong government to offer more help and the refusal of the Guangdong Public Security Bureau to set up a taskforce to hunt for Man-hon. With the compensation, Mrs Yu can repay the more than $1 million debt she borrowed to look for her son and continue the search, which is costing her $30,000 to $40,000 a month, including hefty long-distance phone bills. She has also promised a reward of at least $100,000 for anyone who helps find Man-hon. The mother's tireless search for her son is being driven by her love for her family. 'We have a home that I built together with my husband. My family needs me. Man-hon needs me,' she said. A fortune stick she recently drew reflects Mrs Yu's ordeal. Its poem describes a scene in which the view remains blocked by mountains and heavy clouds despite the observer having reached the highest corner of the Earth. But Mrs Yu said she took it as a good omen: 'It just suggests tremendous difficulties. It does not say Man-hon is not there any more.' August 24, 2000 Autistic boy Yu Man-hon disappears after being wrongly sent across the Lowu border September, 2000 7,000 public security officers in Shenzhen mount a search for Man-hon. An immigration Department investigation identifies four critical blunders that led to the incident October, 2000 Four immigration officers held responsible for the incident face disciplinary action December, 2000 Man-hon's parents sue the government for negligence March 2001 One of the immigration officers facing disciplinary action is revealed to have resigned July 2001 The three other officers are cleared of unprofessional behaviour and negligence by the Civil Service Bureau May 2002 The government is revealed to have offered $1 million total compensation to the boy's parents. This is rejected July 2002 The government offers an immediate $1 million payout and settlement of further damages at a later date. This is also rejected April 2003 An out-of-court settlement is reached. Man-hon's parents are believed to have won $2 million compensation
