JUDGMENTBY: THOMSON CJ, HILL AND BARAKBAH JJA

THOMSON CJ (delivering oral judgment): This appellant claims to be the natural son of a man called Ng Seng Kee who died intestate on 24th May, 1944, leaving two widows and the appellant and as such entitled to participate in the succession to his fathers estate.

His mother who is the administratrix of the estate and the respondent to this appeal claims that he is not a natural son but an adopted son.

Mr. Justice Suffian heard the case and came to the conclusion that the appellant was an adopted son. Against that decision the appellant has now appealed.

Apart from documents, to which I shall come in a moment, there was a great deal of parol evidence which was virtually uncontradicted by other parol evidence to the effect that the appellant was an adopted son. In the first place there was the evidence of his alleged mother, the respondent, who after all is the person best qualified to know as to whether he was a natural son or not and there was the evidence of a woman, Lim Kwai, who said she had acted as go-between in arranging for the adoption of the appellant. According to her he was the natural son of two people called Lee Hai a