According to his lawyer Karpal Singh, Justice Lau Bee Lan ordered Wong Sau Lan’s remains, which has been at the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia mortuary since she died, to be released to Ngiam.

The decision followed the Federal Territory Islamic Council’s admission that Wong’s conversion to Islam from Christianity was not done in accordance with the hukum syarak (Islamic law) and provisions in the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act.

Ngiam who was present in court said he was relieved that the dispute is over.

“It has been 18 days. I can’t sleep sometimes, it has been very traumatic,” said the father of two whose 54-year-old wife died on Dec 30 due to an illness.

Ngiam, a practicing Buddhist, said he hopes to claim his wife’s body this afternoon. The couple had been married for 28 years.

Visited a bomoh

Speaking on his wife’s ‘conversion’, he said it happened when the couple sought the help of a bomoh last year to cure her ailment.

“The bomoh‘s son videotaped my wife allegedly reciting some Islamic verses. This was done with bad intention, we had only gone there to seek treatment,” he added.

After his wife died, Ngiam went to the hospital to claim her body and was told that he could perform the Christian rites but must return Wong’s body to be buried according to Muslim rites.

The next day, he received a letter signed by the Islamic council’s director stating that Wong had converted to Islam on Dec 24 at a flat in Jalan Siakap, Cheras.

However, Ngiam disputed the declaration. He claimed that the council’s letter did not state his wife’s Muslim name and that the conversion was not done in accordance with the law.

He insisted that Wong was a practicting Christian.

On Jan 4, Ngiam was granted an interim injunction preventing the hospital from releasing Wong’s body to the Islamic council in an ex-parte application filed by Karpal.

Following the council’s letter to Karpal two days ago that Wong’s conversion is not binding, an inter-parte application to hear from both disputing parties scheduled for today before justice Lau did not take place.

Seek damages

In the council’s two-page letter, its legal unit head Eidey El-Nimeiry Mokhtar said: “We have carried out further investigation in relation to Wong’s conversion to Islam done by one Siti Aishah Ismail and from the investigation and statements recorded, we decided that her conversion was not valid.

“With that, we are not planning to pursue any action and we are relinquishing our right over the deceased’s remains for it to be handed to her husband.”

Meanwhile, Karpal said he will seek damages for the anguish suffered by Wong’s family as a result of the dispute.

“The council should be more careful in future to ascertain one’s conversion. They should not snatch a body, refuse to release it and later admit that it was not a lawful conversion.

“There could have been other (similar) cases in which this kind of injustice had occurred. We must be more sensitive,” he added.

Wong’s case was the latest in a series of similar disputes since 2005.