"It has been four months since I've given birth to our girl and that's how long I've been longing to see my husband. I just hope someone will help him to come back home safely.

"It saddens me to think that he has not set eyes on our first-born," said Tan Chin Heong, whose husband Victor Hoo, 32, has been stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, since Jan 3.

He and colleague Francis Ng, 54, are caught in a trade dispute between their employer, reportedly an automotive parts supplier, and a client company. The employer lodged reports with the police and Wisma Putra last month.

Tan of Sungai Buloh, Selangor, and other family members have since sought the help of DAP MP for Bagan Chow Kon Yeow ( photo ).

They held a press conference at the Parliament lobby today to reveal details based mainly on an email sent by the duo on May 6.

It said the client company took their passports when they arrived, ostensibly in order to get them an exit visa. A few days later, they were allegedly told to pay RM250,000 to the company or they would not able to leave the country.

The duo then went to the Malaysian consulate in Jeddah for assistance and were granted temporary shelter.

On May 2, they were told to leave the premises, but managed to get an extension. However, at 12.30am on May 5, they were abruptly ordered to leave the premises.

After a security guard delivered the message, they queried chancery head Aziz Shahar who said the consul general had issued the instruction.

"We tried for (at least) 30 minutes to call the mobile phone of the consul general (but) he did not answer our calls even though the (calls) went through many times," they said.

"Subsequently, we referred the whole issue to Aziz. He could have used his discretion or some humanitarian sympathy to allow us to stay one night."

However, they claimed that Aziz insisted they had to leave immediately without considering that they did not have their passports or any valid travel document.

They got a taxi and tried to get accommodation but several hotels turned them down because they could not produce documents. The taxi driver became angry when they could not pay the fare and abandoned them along a highway.

The next morning, they took a cab to their lawyer's office and obtained help to find a place to stay, but the email did not give the location.

'Living like fugitives'

Victor's father Hoo Meng Hai said: "They are now out there somewhere, living like fugitives and face imprisonment if they are caught by the police.

"The consulate is supposed to help Malaysians facing problems, but it chased them out. I really hope that the government can help us in this matter."

Francis' wife Cheah Mun Yue expressed worry for her husband whom she has been unable to contact since they left the consulate. The couple have three children and live in Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur.

"The last I heard is that he's staying with his lawyer, but how long can the lawyer provide him shelter?" she asked in tears.

"I'm not blaming anyone - not my husband's employer or the government. I just want someone to help me to get my husband home."

Chow said he would refer the matter to Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar ( photo ).

"The email we received from them stated that they were told to leave the consulate on the minister's (Syed Hamid) order," he said, adding that the statement must be taken at face value as he does not believe a minister would do such a thing.

Chow also said that he's hoping for Syed Hamid to take a personal interest in the matter in order to resolve it immediately.