Abang Li (not his real name), 66, said he felt honoured and was grateful to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah for granting him a pardon.

“I had previously applied (for pardon) a few times, but was unsuccessful. I was just advised by the prison management to leave the matter to the prison authorities,” he told reporters when met at his house in Kampung Kandis here today.

Abang Li is among 13 convicts serving life sentences in several prisons in Malaysia who were pardoned by the King in conjunction with the country’s 63rd National Day.

All of them were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on Dec 28, 2001, by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on charges under Section 121 of the Penal Code for waging war or attempting to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and state ruler.

Abang Li said he had been placed at prisons in Sungai Buluh, Kajang and Pengkalan Chepa before finally being sent to the Machang Moral Rehabilitation Centre.

He said he studied religion and learned sewing skills during his time in prison, and gave lessons on the faith to new inmates.

All Abang Li wants for now is to spend some quality time with his family and take care of his mother, Fatimah Ab Rahman, 98, to try and make up for the time lost.

Meanwhile, his wife, who only wished to be known as Kak Yah (Kamariah), said she was grateful that in her husband’s absence, other family members had stepped up to help her and the couple’s eight children (now aged 21-40) get by.

She said her income as a cake trader was not enough to raise her children and send them to school, but the Pasir Puteh Social Welfare Office had come to the family’s assistance.

“Raising eight children without a husband is not easy,” she said.

“Alhamdulillah, all my children, except the youngest, are working. My youngest child is studying at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.”