Indonesian Consulate in Penang Repatriates Three Abandoned Toddlers
The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Penang has successfully repatriated three Indonesian toddlers who had been abandoned since birth in Malaysia, through close coordination with the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and relevant Malaysian authorities. The three toddlers consist of a child with the initials CM, and twins with the initials MA and AM, who were abandoned by their mother, an Indonesian migrant worker, because she could not afford the costs of care and childbirth at hospitals in the Penang area.
According to information received by ANTARA from KJRI Penang on Saturday, CM was born at Hospital Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang. Meanwhile, the twins MA and AM were born prematurely at a private hospital in Penang and subsequently referred to Hospital Pulau Pinang for intensive care after one of the children developed complications affecting the respiratory system, eyes, liver, and intestines.
As no family members claimed them, the three children were initially cared for by the Seberang Perai Tengah Social Welfare Department (JKM) in Pulau Pinang before being placed at the Tengku Budriah Children’s Shelter in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Since receiving the report on the twins’ case on 27 October 2024 and CM’s case on 5 June 2025, KJRI Penang has coordinated intensively with various parties, including JKM Malaysia.
Through this cooperation, KJRI issued a Certificate of Birth Registration (SBPK) for the twins on 29 May 2026 and for CM on 28 April 2026. Travel documents in lieu of passports (SPLP) were issued for the twins on 5 July 2026 and for CM on 29 April 2026 as proof of Indonesian citizenship. The legal process was also completed with a court order from the Bukit Mertajam Magistrates’ Court on 11 June 2026 instructing JKM to hand over the children to KJRI Penang, which occurred on the same day.
When the three toddlers were flown back to Medan on 12 June 2026, CM was immediately reunited with her biological mother, who had been located and brought in by the team. Meanwhile, as the whereabouts of the twins’ biological mother remain unknown and existing family members are unable to care for them, the twins were handed over to the Social Services Office of North Sumatra Province for continued care and protection. The repatriation process involved intensive coordination between KJRI Penang, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP3MI) of North Sumatra, the Provincial Social Services Office, and the Provincial Office of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection.
KJRI Penang expressed its highest appreciation to all parties in Malaysia, including the Social Welfare Department, hospital authorities, and Malaysian Immigration, for their extraordinary cooperation and support in this humanitarian mission. According to the Consulate, the successful tracing of family members and the eventual repatriation of the three toddlers to their families in Indonesia serves as tangible proof of the Indonesian government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable citizens abroad, while also guaranteeing their rights to identity and a future as children of the nation.