A Norwegian mother of two has been arrested by local authorities after abducting her two children to Malaysia.
After a Norwegian mother lost custody of her children in 2016 she abducted her two children and went hiding in Malaysia. According to the Norwegian TV station TV2, who has been reporting on the case, child abduction is not forbidden by law in Malaysia and since the country is not a member of the Hague Convention this case is particularly challenging for the Norwegian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The family of three failed to extend their Malaysian visa and were therefore arrested last week.
Now the mother is trying to find a way to stay in Malaysia with the children of age 8 and 10 years by seeking political asylum in Malaysia.
The father of the children was in Malaysia during the arrest
During the arrest, the father of the two children was in Malaysia, but he has since returned to Trondheim in Norway. He went looking for his children in Malaysia with former Norwegian police officer Carl Petter Endresen after the abduction.
“My thoughts have been on the case day and night. My children have been kept illegal in Malaysia because of their mother’s actions,” says the father to VG.no.
The two men and local police arrested the mother in her Malaysian home after a local tip. If succeeding to bring the children back to Norway they will be put in a foster family, since the father neither has custody of the children.
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur have been cautious in giving any information on the case due to the minor children. But a brief statement has been given to TV2.no:
“The Foreign Service prioritizes consular assistance in cases of international child abduction. The Embassy provides consular assistance in this case concerning a Norwegian citizen with two minor children arrested by Malaysian authorities. Things involving minors are particularly demanding. We hope that this matter can be solved as soon as possible and in the best interest of the children.”
