PETALING JAYA, Jan 24 — Single mother R. Beramalah Devei had every reason to smile after she was finally reunited with her two children yesterday.

Her children had been living in a welfare home for the past four years since the death of their father.

Beramalah was earlier forced to lodge several police reports and even threatened legal action against the welfare home in Desa Petaling after claiming they had refused to return her children.

“I am very happy my children are back with me as I am now capable of raising them on my own,” said Beramalah yesterday.

Beramalah sent her children to the home after facing financial woes following her husband’s death on June 6, 2010. The children have been at the home since.

A spokesman for Ti-Ratana welfare home, Irving Hoe, insisted the administrators had never denied Beramalah visiting rights.

“She visited her children often. We have never denied her that right,” Hoe said.

“But when she told us about wanting to take the children home, of course we have to follow procedure as we are a law abiding society.”

Hoe clarified they never barred the children from attending school.

“The children told us their mother was transferring them to a different school so there was no need for them to attend classes at their current school. We even bought them school books,” he said.

“Why should we deny them school after doing all this for them?”

Ti-Ratana treasurer J. Premanathan said the workers at the home are all volunteers who work in good faith.

“We are not paid and are sincere in our work. We treat the children as our own.”

On Wednesday, Beramalah told a press conference that her children were beaten and were not sent to school while under the home’s care. She then threatened to sue the home if they did not return her children by next week.

When asked of the allegations made by Beramalah, Ti-Ratana’s committee said they are not in the business of suing individuals as they are a non governmental organisation, but said their lawyers would study the allegations if they are deemed defamatory.