Condition of four-year-old girl in ‘moving home’ accident improving

KUCHING: The condition of the four-year- old daughter of Jacson Lee Eik Soon, who suffered severe injuries in an accident on Dec 20, has improved.

Lee, when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday, said his daughter, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit ( ICU) of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), could now watch the television although there was still bruise near one of her eyes.

“Her condition is better now and the doctor told us that she could be transferred to the general ward in three days’ time if there is no problem,” he said.

Lee said their daily meals were provided by the hospital.

Lee, together with his wife Vivi Nilawati,32, and their children had been taking shelter in a car for over a month until their ‘moving home’ was hit by a vehicle last Tuesday.

They had been selling bananas but the earnings were not enough to support the family. Before becoming a banana seller, Lee worked as a salesman and had been employed by various companies.

The accident, that caused his car to be badly damaged, happened when Lee, Vivi and their children were on the way to the top of the car park at E-Mart Matang when their car ran out of fuel.

Lee thought of seeking help from friends, but it was already past midnight. He even asked help from a security guard at the mall, but to no avail.

He was left with no choice but to park his car by the roadside, thinking that he could get help in the morning.

Little did he know that another vehicle would ram into their car at

Her condition is better now and the doctor told us that she could be transferred to the general ward in three days’ time if there is no problem. Jacson Lee Eik Soon

around 4am. Lee claimed that not only was the driver speeding, but she was also under the influence of alcohol. Lee lodged a police report after the accident.

He disclosed that they mostly parked their car in various places such as at the car park in Kuching International Airport and commercial centres.

Lee and Vivi have yet to register their marriage. Lee said they had been together for five years even though Vivi was legally married to another man all these years.

“Vivi’s identity card still states that she is married. She has been separated from her Indonesian husband, but with no divorce paper to prove this. We do not know the whereabouts of the Indonesian husband. Vivi and I cannot register our marriage because her Indonesian identity card says she is married.”

Given this scenario, Lee said both his children have yet to be registered with the National Registration Department (NRD).

At the moment, Lee and Vivi as well as their three-year- old son Rocky Lee Abdullah are staying at Anjung Kasih, the temporary shelter at SGH provided by the government for the families of poor and outstation patients who seek treatment at the hospital.

According to Lee, the family is allowed to stay at Anjung Singgah for a month or until his daughter is discharged.

As for his lodging after his daughter has been discharged, Lee said somebody was kind enough to offer his family to stay in a house in Tabuan Jaya.

As he has culinary skills, Lee said he had been offered to work in a ‘kitchen’ but would only start working after his daughter had been discharged and family moved to the new house.

Lee’s predicament was brought to the attention of Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah by The Borneo Post, who acknowledged that Lee needed all the help for he was facing multiple problems.

“The children, if they were born here, need to be registered. Considering Lee’s partner is an Indonesian, help from the Indonesian Consulate might also be needed to sort out the marriage problem (to get a divorce from the ex-husband).”

She said that the citizenship of Lee’s children would be an issue because there was no marriage certificate as their mother was technically still married to another man.

“This issue has to be ironed out so that they (Lee and Vivi) can be legally married. Then the father ( Lee) can apply for Malaysian citizenship of the children under 15A which is an application for citizenship of children under the age of 18.”