Meanwhile, she said she has taught her son how to use Twitter on their desktop computer to communicate with her while she is at work.

She said: "It's hard for me to talk on the phone when I am at work as I've just started this job."

The home is well-maintained.

They have an old 29-inch cathode-ray tube TV in their living room but do not have cable.
Liza said: "We cut the cable connection sometime ago to save money."

"My husband and I do the cleaning on weekends and fold the clothes as well. The kids don't do any of that."

Neighbours remain concerned.

Said a neighbour, who is in her 70s: "I know the kids are alone and sometimes I see the youngest boy climbing the front door grilles and I am worried he will have a bad fall. Who will tend to him then?"
Added her daughter, in her 20s, who declined to be named: "There was an emergency in the middle of last year when Liza fell ill and fainted. The kids were so worried that they came to us for help. But when we approached the family, the husband told us 'jangan masuk campur'."

This means don't get involved in Malay.

She added: "We have contemplated calling the police as we are worried about Liza's safety but it is hard for us to get involved as they don't want our help."

Another neighbour, Madam Goh, 47, a housewife, said in Mandarin: "I have seen the two elder kids' school teachers come to the house to ring the bell to force the kids to go to school. It happens quite often."

The community has tried to help.

A neighbour said he has watched the kids play in the corridor alone.

He said: "I just keep my front door open and watch them. Just in case something happens, I can help."

Said another neighbour, in her mid-20s, who declined to be named: "Sometimes, we give the children food as well."

When The New Paper visited the family last week, Liza got up two or three times to make milk for her youngest son.

The boy, who was in diapers, looked up and called her 'Kak' (elder sister in Malay).

Said Liza: "The word mum just hasn't come out of his mouth."

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