Detained couple's reps request for certificate of good conduct

STOCKHOLM (Jan 26, 2014): Family representatives of the Malaysian couple detained by Swedish authorities for hitting their son's hand for not praying have requested for a certificate of good conduct to enable them to meet the couple's four children here.
Umno Youth Community Complaints Bureau chairman, Sheikh Nafiq Alfirdaous said the couple's relatives had applied for the certificate from Wisma Putra which was then approved by the Inspector-General of Police before the document was referred to the lawyer representing the children.
"The relatives are still waiting for them to be officially allowed to contact and meet the couple's children.
"After the document is obtained, the family representatives will immediately meet the children. This is the latest information we have received from the Foreign Ministry," he told Malaysian reporters, here, Sunday.
The couple, Tourism Malaysia director here, Azizul Raheem Awalludin and his wife Shalwati Norshal, a teacher who is on unpaid leave, were detained last Dec 18 for physically punishing their child, which is an offence in Sweden.
Following their detention, the children were placed by the Swedish authorities with a non-Muslim foster family and the children have since been unhappy about this. It is understood that family representatives of the couple were only able to meet the children once, on Jan 17, since they were placed with the foster family.
Sheikh Nafiq said Wisma Putra was in the final process of placing the children with two Muslim families that had been shortlisted. He said the Swedish authorities had considered the request to place the children with Muslim foster families and it was understood that the Swedish administrative court would decide on the children's custody soon.
The court had reportedly, under the Social Services Act and the Care of Young Persons (Special Provisions) Act, placed the children under the supervision of the country's Social Services.
The decision to place the children with a chosen family was also said to be made "in the best interest of the children".
On the detained couple, Sheikh Nafiq said a decision was expected to be made on Jan 29 as their remand order would end on Jan 30. – Bernama