Family names employer of US couple held in Qatar
Aug 15, 2013, 3:40 AM
DENVER (AP) – A relative of a Los Angeles couple arrested in Qatar says the two had gone there at the request of a Colorado-based engineering company that focuses on water infrastructure projects.
Matthew and Grace Huang are jailed on accusations that they starved their 8-year-old daughter, Gloria, to death, according to groups that are working on their case. The groups say the arrests are unjust. The Huangs’ relatives say they’ve been falsely accused.
Grace Huang’s brother Daniel Chin said Wednesday that Matthew Huang went to Qatar after MWH Global Inc., based in Broomfield, asked him to be an engineer on a project supporting the Doha World Cup 2022.
“Since moving to Doha, Matthew and Grace have not only experienced the loss of their daughter, but they are now left to struggle through a foreign court that doesn’t seem to understand why they would have even adopted special needs children from Africa,” Chin said in a statement released by a family spokesman.
“Our family has sacrificed greatly to defend them, take care of their other children and work to bring them home safely to the U.S.”
The couple adopted Gloria from Ghana when she was 4. They say she had eating disorders stemming from malnourishment in early childhood.
“This is a very unfortunate and difficult situation that is personal to Mr. Huang and his family, and is unrelated to his employment with MWH Global,” MWH spokeswoman Meg VanderLaan said in an email.
“We truly sympathize with this very sad situation, and we continue to provide support to our employee and his family,” she wrote.” We are monitoring the circumstances closely, and we are hopeful for a prompt resolution to this matter.”
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