Facebook reunites Indonesian siblings after 35 years

JAKARTA - An Indonesian woman found a brother who had been missing for more than three decades through the popular social networking site Facebook, a report said Tuesday.

Nurlianti Dehi was separated from her elder brother Anton in 1974 when he left their hometown in Central Sulawesi province for neighbouring North Sulawesi, according to the online edition of the Media Indonesia daily.

Anton maintained contact with his family for the first two years but later cut off communication completely, she told the newspaper.

“We were separated for 35 years and now I found him through Facebook,” Nurlianti was quoted as saying.

Nurlianti had virtually given up hope of finding her brother when Anton’s daughter found her on Facebook and contacted her.

She said she initially doubted if the person who spoke on the phone was her brother, but became convinced after they shared some stories of childhood.