Meet the Malaysian Chinese man who adopted 3 Malay sons: ‘I’m a grandfather now and will never be lonely’
- A visit to an orphanage in Gombak, Malaysia’s Selangor state, about 16 years ago changed Michael Tong Wai Siong’s life forever
- Now, the unmarried event manager has three Malay sons – and he couldn’t be happier. ‘I did it sincerely to ensure that the boys grow up’, he said
When Michael Tong Wai Siong was 39, he never expected to become a father figure to three Malay boys and have his life transformed by their presence.
“I’ve never been married … Suddenly I had to take care of three children who weren’t mine,” said Tong, who is 55-years-old and ethnic Chinese. “However, I felt this was a task given to me by God and I had to accept the challenge.”
That boy was Rafie Ahmad Fauzi, now a 29-year-old entrepreneur.
“He was just sitting alone, avoiding everyone. I learnt from a caretaker named Umi that Rafie refused to go to school,” Tong recalled. “After visiting Rafie at school and meeting with his teachers, I discovered he had learning difficulties. So I enrolled him at a tuition centre.”
Rafie began to show improvement and interest in learning.