style="text-transform: uppercase;">Kuala Lumpur: After five failed attempts, 107-year-old Teo Kim Len has finally succeeded in obtaining a Malaysian identity card and is now the oldest person to receive a citizenship. Teo, who turns 108 on June 9, said she was happy to receive the IC as she would finally have the opportunity to visit her relatives in China after 61 years in Malaysia.

"I am very sad, after coming to Malaysia for a few decades I have not visited China, I hope to visit my hometown, to meet my family and friends, I still have a brother and a daughter in China," she was quoted saying by local daily Sin Chew Daily.

Teo said her father had died when she was still young and she had worked as a woodcarver, besides selling dried tofu prepared by her mother to support her younger siblings.

Teo said she also had a difficult life after coming to then-Malaya from China's Fujian province in 1955 at the age of 46, saying she did all sorts of jobs including doing laundry for others to survive.

She said she came here with two children, with one obtaining citizenship after independence while another had permanent resident status like her.

Teo also expressed hope that her son would get his citizenship soon so they could visit their relatives in China together.

Teo's daughter-in-law said they had approached Gerakan for help after finding out that the political party was assisting the public in their applications for citizenships, with party President Datuk Mah Siew Keong personally notifying Teo in March of her successful application.

Gerakan public complaints bureau chief Lau Hoi Keong said the party is expected to bear good news to a batch of citizenship applicants aged 70 and above.

The Director of Putrajaya NRD's identity card division, Zahrollail Bin Zainal, reportedly said Teo is the oldest person to date to receive a Malaysian IC.

He said another person aged 120 had previously applied for citizenship but was turned down due to the insufficient information provided.