Cover image via 
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
After serving 18 months behind bars in Kluang Prison, a woman has vowed to turn over a new leaf and leave behind her criminal past
According to Bernama, Chiew (not her real name), 42, was released on Thursday, 28 August, under the Ihsan MADANI Licensed Release of Prisoners (PBSL) Programme, held in conjunction with National Day and Malaysia Day this year.
"I can't wait to go home to hug and kiss my children," said the single mother of five, who has also vowed never to return to prison.
Convicted of mischief by fire, Chiew was sentenced to two years in jail after working for an illegal loan shark syndicate
She admitted to torching 22 homes and vehicles across Johor, including in Johor Bahru, Kulai, Pontian, Batu Pahat, Muar, Tangkak, and Segamat, for RM1,000 a job.
"I followed friends into the syndicate's work without thinking of the consequences," she told Berita Harian when met at the programme.
"I feel truly grateful to be released today. I don't want to set foot in prison again. I experienced so much hardship, including giving birth behind bars," she added.
She recalled giving birth to her youngest child on the very first day of imprisonment in November 2023, without family by her side.
Released inmates signing a letter of undertaking in front of the Kluang Prison Director, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Nazri Nasruddin (second from right).
Image via Alias Abd Rani/Berita HarianChiew shared that the hardest part of her sentence was being separated from her children
"Every day in here, I thought of my children in Johor Bahru under my mother's care. I just want to make up for lost time," she said.
The mother added that upon her release, she intends to start a new chapter by using the sewing and bag-making skills she learned in prison to earn an honest living.
Chiew was among 41 inmates — 35 men and six women — granted early release under the PBSL programme, which offers deserving prisoners a second chance to reintegrate into society with continued supervision and support.
