Some young adults said that they had cut off ties with their parents over issues such as physical abuse, emotional distance or overbearing control by their parents. It was the third day of Chinese New Year in 2017, a time for family reunion. For Ms Joey Liaw, she ended up in a coffee shop alone. The special needs teacher had been looking forward to having dinner with her father at 5pm after he was done with work. She sat there for three hours and he did not show up. “He didn’t pick up his phone.