Compiled by AHMAD SYARAFI ADLI AZAMI, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       DESPITE being born in the country, a 63-year-old woman is still trying hard to get Malaysian citizenship, Makkal Osai reported.

       Alliamma Ramasamy was born in 1958 in a rubber estate hospital in Butterworth, Penang, on Christmas Day. She has seven siblings, all of whom have citizenship.

       Her parents faced difficulties in registering her birth as the family was caught in the crossfire during the Communist insurgency and their home was torched during the armed conflict.

       Unable to continue her education due to her status, she eventually got married and moved to Penang where she brought up seven children on her own.

       She is now a grandmother to 12 Malaysians but she still cannot claim to be a full citizen.

       Her status has caused many problems, including facing a RM70,000 medical bill for heart treatment because she was charged the rate for foreigners. The bill was eventually reduced to RM11,000 following intervention by Penang Deputy Chief Minister Dr P. Ramasamy.

       Alliamma said she would continue her 40-year battle to get the document.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.