WOMAN, TWO DAUGHTERS PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING

KLANG (Malaysia), Dec 16 (Bernama) -- A woman and her two daughters were
charged in the Sessions Court here Tuesday with trafficking three baby girls who
were delivered at a maternity hospital here early this month.

The girls, who were then only a day-old, were born to foreign citizens.

The woman, 56, and her daughters were said to be involved in a baby-for-sale
racket which had been operating for more than five years in Banting, Klang (is
the royal capital of Selangor state) and Kajang (is a city in the eastern part
of Selangor).

Lian Kim Wan, from Banting, Ang Bee Ling, 36, from Port Klang, and Ang Bee
Churn, 31, from Jalan Bukit Mertajam, here, pleaded not guilty and claimed trial
to the charge.

They were jointly charged with trafficking the three babies, who were
born to Kristina, an Indonesian, Anie Lida, a Filipina, and Ninik Rahayu
Suhaimi,
also an Indonesian, at the Metro Maternity Hospital, No: 34, Jalan Pasar Klang,
here between 2am and 5am last Dec 3.


Lian, an insurance agent, and her daughters, both housewives, are charged
under Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking In Persons Act 2007 which provides
punishment with imprisonment for a term not less than three years but not
exceeding 20 years, and shall also be liable to fine, if found guilty.

Judge Yong Zarida Sazali allowed them bail of RM15,000 (US$4,386) in one
surety each and for them to surrender their passports to the court.

Lian and her daughters are also ordered to report themselves at the nearest
police station on the first day of every month pending the disposal of their
case.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Siti Noorbaya Jamil, who prosecuted, said
Lian and her daughters should not be allowed bail on grounds that the offence
they were charged with was serious and immoral.

She said it was also because the case involved new-born babies and of the
wide coverage by the media


Lawyer Muhammad Affendy Mohd Yusop, who represented Lian and her daughters,
requested that his clients be allowed bail on grounds of Lian's health condition
and also that she had nine other children to look after.

As for the Ang sisters, he said the younger one had six children and the
other, one child.

He said the court should take into account the children's fate.

The case is fixed for mention on Jan 22 next year

-- BERNAMA