SEREMBAN - 'I FOUND him! I found him!' That's what self-made millionaire Yak Eng Wai exclaimed after he spoke to his long-lost son on the phone on Thursday.

His quest for his wife Ooi Suan Im, 61, and his 37-year-old son whom he had not met for three decades has apparently ended after his story appeared in The Star on Wednesday. Numerous people had called in claiming to be related to him for the past two days.

The caller gave Mr Yak, 62, the names of his maternal grandparents, uncles and aunties in Singapore as well as details of his mother, who was also Mr Yak's first wife. He was also able to provide answers such as his birth place and the things they did during Mr Yak's brief visits to Penang.

State MCA public services and complaints chairman Tung Kong Ming said Yak, a Singaporean, would be coming to Kuala Lumpur soon to meet his son, known only as Ah Teck, 37, and Ms Ooi.

He said Mr Yak had also spoken to Ms Ooi on Wednesday night. Mr Tung said the man had called him first and insisted on speaking to Mr Yak personally.

'I then gave him Mr Yak's contact. Within minutes, Mr Yak called me back and he was screaming that he had found his son,

'Yak told me that he had quizzed the man on personal details like the names of his first wife's family members, where they had lived and so on and the man was able to answer everything accurately without hesitating,' he said when contacted.

Mr Tung said although Mr Yak was convinced the man was his son, the caller would still need to furnish identification documents and family pictures to support his claims.

'The man also told me he had the same family photo as the one published in the newspaper. He was very polite and just said, 'I am the man you are looking for.' After all the crank calls that I have received, his was the only one that sounded genuine.'

According to Mr Tung, Ah Teck was keen to be reunited with his father but wanted to remain out of the lime light. 'He told me that he did not want to be known as a rich man's son. He just wanted to see his father and catch up with lost times,' he said. -- THE STAR