Born a Chinese, but raised as a Malay; 5 decades later, she is looking for birth parents

Born a Chinese in 1962, she was raised by a Malay midwife

Madam Zahara Abdullah with her baby photos, including one taken with her late adoptive mother Habsah Masagos Omar. She also has adoption documents and her birth certificate, but they do not carry her birth parents' names.
Madam Zahara Abdullah with her baby photos, including one taken with her late adoptive mother Habsah Masagos Omar. She also has adoption documents and her birth certificate, but they do not carry her birth parents' names. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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She was born a Chinese, but raised as a Malay.

Madam Zahara Abdullah - who was born Teo Soi Mui - was given away to her adoptive mother, a Malay midwife, shortly after she was delivered at the old Kandang Kerbau Maternity Hospital in 1962.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 16, 2018, with the headline Born a Chinese, but raised as a Malay; 5 decades later, she is looking for birth parents. Subscribe