Before 51-year-old Yu stood before the cameras at the MCA Johor State Liaison Committee office and announced she was severing ties with her son, she had something to say to him directly.
“I don’t blame you. I was also forced into cutting ties with you. I hope you will truly want to change, go for rehab, face it bravely, don’t back down. There are still many people who care about you.”
She said it in tears.
Then she made it official.
A son who disappeared before she could help
As reported by Sin Chew Daily, Yu’s son Wei Kai Sheng, 23, had been working in Singapore at an electronics retailer before losing his job in April.
He returned home and shut himself in his room, his behaviour growing increasingly erratic.
He could not walk straight. His words were not making sense.
Yu went to the police and made arrangements to send him to the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) for rehabilitation. Wei Kai Sheng found out and was gone before she got home from work. That was May 12. He has not been in contact since.
What the loan sharks knew
Five days after he disappeared, the calls started. According to China Press, Wei Kai Sheng had borrowed RM2,000 from loan sharks, and with the debt four days overdue, the amount had ballooned to RM8,000. When Yu said she could not pay, the messages turned threatening.
“When I said I couldn’t pay the debt, the loan sharks told me not to lie to them as they possibly knew that my daughter was working in Singapore. They also sent threatening messages to the family and my daughter such as, ‘don’t blame me’ and ‘you’re not settling this yourself’,” she said.
What made it worse was how they knew. According to Sin Chew, Wei Kai Sheng had filmed videos of the house interior, utility bills and himself holding his IC as collateral for the loan.
The loan sharks had a full picture of the family’s situation before they even made the first call.
Yu has a low income. Her daughter, whom the loan sharks had already identified, is currently out of work. Her husband shares the same roof but has not been a functioning part of the family for years. She is facing this alone.
What families in this situation can do
MCA councillor Zhang Zilin, who accompanied Yu to the press conference, urged other families dealing with drug addiction not to stay silent out of fear.
The AADK provides free counselling and intervention services, and families can approach them without fear of criminal consequences for seeking help early.
Zhang also called on the loan sharks directly: the debt belongs to the borrower, not his family.
“A person is an adult at 18 and should be responsible for their own actions.
Go after the person who owes you, not the family,” she said.
As for Yu, she said she had already prepared herself for every possible outcome, including the worst. She still believes her son is not beyond saving.
“He might have faced financial difficulties after becoming jobless and this caused him to borrow from loan sharks to fund his drug addiction. However, I believe he could still have a future if he met the right people,” she said.
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