Singaporean woman plans to stay in Romania ‘one or two more months’
(Screenshot from ProTV)
The Singapore woman who travelled to Romania with her mother to meet her online boyfriend reportedly plans to stay in the country for another one or two more months.
Chinese daily Shin Min reported that Foo Li Kheng, 61, the mother of Cheryl Yap Lay Leng, 25, spoke to her husband Mr Yap via a phone call on Wednesday evening.
During the phone call, it was reported that Foo told Mr Yap that they plan to stay in Romania for another one or two more months. Mother and daughter are currently staying with Yap’s boyfriend, Alexandru Donea, 18, and his parents in a commune called Vulturesti, located about two and half hours’ drive from capital city Bucharest. Mr Yap agreed to this, and said he missed them and felt sad, adding that he hoped they would return safely.
Miss Yap also told Romanian media she and Donea fell in love when they met in real life, and that she would stay on on Romania for him. The two have a common interest in Japanese anime and manga. Yap told Romanian media she came to Romania to “work together on YouTube” with Donea. A YouTube channel created by Donea features several anime music videos and has over 150,000 subscribers.
Media reports added that she has also apologised for causing worry, but did not speak to her father during the phone call. Donea, however, apologised to her father over the phone.
Mr Yap previously told the Chinese daily that he found out about the trip only when he saw his daughter’s credit card bill, which showed a return date of 16 April. He was also told by his daughter’s company that she did not apply for annual leave. Miss Yap also had with her four bank passbooks containing savings of at least S$40,000.
Mr Yap’s wife and daughter left for Romania without informing the rest of the family, and were uncontactable for 10 days. Their sudden departure sparked concerns that they were lured into a scam, and led to Mr Yap making a police report. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also alerted.
Romania’s police force said the two were located in a commune called Vulturesti, and posted a photo of them on the national police force’s Facebook page. The police confirmed they were not the victims of any crime.
