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Tag: sabah

  • Indranee Rajah: Heroes Of Sabah Quake And Singaporeans’ Reactions A Reminder Of What It Means Be Part Of Singapore Family

    Indranee Rajah: Heroes Of Sabah Quake And Singaporeans’ Reactions A Reminder Of What It Means Be Part Of Singapore Family

    Being Singaporean

    On this National Day of Remembrance, it was brought home to me once again what it means to be Singaporean.

    This day was for us to remember those who died in the Sabah quake -Terrence (the teacher), Daanish (the adventure guide) and Peony, Ameer, Emilie, Matahom, Rachel and Sonia (the students), while we hope against hope for Mohammad Ghazi and Navdeep Singh who are still missing.

    At the SEA Games, we scored golds, including getting our first ever netball gold yesterday, and breaking the 50m freestyle record today.

    Happiness mingled with sadness.

    I visited Sonia’s wake today. I was touched by her family’s strength and fortitude. Her parents mourned her death but they also celebrated how much she achieved in her young life. They said to know her was to love her.

    In their grief, they generously remembered others, making it a point to tell Minister Heng Swee Keat and myself how much they appreciated the support from the principal and teachers of TKPS, as well as the MOE team in Sabah, with an especial word of thanks for DS Lim Boon Wee, and to the SAF for bringing them and Sonia home.

    Her mum said Sonia was an avid netball player. She played Wing Defence. She had attended the first few matches of our national netball team in the SEA Games to cheer them on before leaving for Sabah and was sorry that she was going to miss the netball final because of her trip.

    Her uncle told me that our national netballers came to see Sonia today. They came to show their support for family of the girl who had supported them. They gave Sonia the hexagonal light medallion from the SEA games pack, signed with their names – so she now has her own SEA games netball “medal”. Their thoughtful gesture and solidarity for Sonia meant a lot to the family.

    Also attended Terrence’s wake this evening. CNA reported a parent as saying that Terrence had “helped a bunch” before going back up again to help others. His selflessness saved others. His family can be proud of him, even as they mourn him. Friends, NS mates, ex-students, teacher colleagues, neighbours and relatives were all there to lend support the family.

    This reminded me anew what it means to be Singaporean – strength,courage, duty, kindness – and being there for each other, in joy or sorrow, good times and bad. This is what it is to be part of the Singapore family.

     

    Source: Indranee Rajah

  • Bodies Of Missing Tanjong Katong Primary Student And Teacher Found

    Bodies Of Missing Tanjong Katong Primary Student And Teacher Found

    The bodies of the remaining missing pupil and teacher from Tanjong Katong Primary School have been identified, said the Ministry of Education on Wednesday.

    “We are saddened to inform that the Malaysian authorities have confirmed that Navdeep Singh Jaryal s/o Raj Kumar and Mohammad Ghazi Bin Mohamed are amongst the persons who perished at Kota Kinabalu,” said the statement.

    “Their next-of-kin have been informed. Their remains will return to Singapore upon completion of further forensic tests. This is expected to take some time. We will continue to provide support to the families during this difficult time.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Adventure Guide Recounts Frantic Bid To Evacuate TKPS Students

    Adventure Guide Recounts Frantic Bid To Evacuate TKPS Students

    Boulders as large as trucks plummeted down the rock face of the mountain, breaking into smaller pieces with a roar. Nearby, some wooden huts collapsed and rolled down the slope.

    This was the scene that greeted six Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) pupils last Friday morning when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Mount Kinabalu.

    That morning, the six children made the decision to stay behind to rest at Pendant Hut, a mountain lodge where other pupils and teachers in their group had slept the night before. They were tired and wanted to rest before heading for the summit the next day.

    The other 23 pupils went ahead and set off for the Via Ferrata route 300m away.

    At 7.15am, the walls of the hut shook when the quake struck.

    Fear gripped 29-year-old Mohamad Amin, the leader who was in charge of the six pupils. He was a staff member with outdoor learning firm Camp Challenge, which ran the expedition.

    He quickly snapped out of shock and rushed the children to the nearest place of safety, a helipad that had the open space needed for emergencies.

    Along the way, Mr Amin tried to establish contact with the pupils and teachers who were on the mountain with a walkie-talkie.

    The group intended to wait for the others at the helipad. However, the ground beneath them shook repeatedly as the aftershocks hit.

    So they made their way down to a second helipad where they were joined by other children from TKPS who had suffered broken arms, and head and shoulder injuries.

    By then, it was noon and some mountain guides had called for a helicopter. It came two hours later but the fog prevented it from landing.

    Some children slowly made their way down while those who were severely injured were carried down the mountain on stretchers.

    Mr Amin recalled a boy, Wafeeq, 12, who had hurt his head but delayed getting on a stretcher.

    Instead, he asked Mr Amin: “How many of my friends are dead?”

    Mr Amin tried to reassure him while helping to bandage the wounds of others.

    By then, the first few search and rescue teams were already making their way up.

    When Mr Amin reached the foot of the mountain, he was seized by more despair.

    He recognised the body of a 12-year-old being brought down and identified her as Peony Wee Ying Ping. He followed her in a separate van to Hospital Ranau and arranged for her to be taken to the main town.

    Then he returned to the mountain to make arrangements for other injured pupils, such as Prajesh Dhimant Patel, to be treated at Hospital Queen Elizabeth.

    “I went without sleep for 32 hours, fuelled by the fact that 29 pupils and 10 adults went up with me, so they must come down with me,” said Mr Amin.

    But it was not to be.

    Mr Amin kept his grief in check by assisting officials and parents on the ground before flying back to Singapore yesterday to support the parents of his colleague, Mr Muhammad Daanish Amran, who died in the quake. Mr Daanish was buried yesterday.

    “The nightmare continues but I will still be running overseas camps because I believe they build character,” he said.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • TKPS Student Survivor: Teachers Were Heroes

    TKPS Student Survivor: Teachers Were Heroes

    Emyr Uzayr, one of the Tanjong Katong Primary School students that survived the earthquake in Sabah last week, returned to Singapore early Sunday morning (Jun 7) and is now in the high dependency ward at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. He has been seeing a steady stream of visitors since his return, including the Education Minister Heng Swee Keat on Sunday evening.

    “He is recovering, even with the fracture on his skull,” said his father Sadri Farick. “We are not going to proceed with the operation because there might be risks. We are just going to leave it (to heal) naturally because we have been advised by the neurosurgeons.”

    According to Emyr, one of his teachers, Mohamed Faizal, who recovering from his injuries, had used his body to shield three of the pupils from falling rocks and boulders on Mount Kinabalu during the earthquake. The other teachers on trip include Mr Terrence Loo, who was among seven from the school who died, and Mr Mohammad Ghazi, who is still missing.

    Mr Sadri paid tribute to the teachers for their selfless acts. “They went two or three miles, helping them, shielding them, taking the hits, even with a broken skull and bones, they still brought them down 7 kilometres in blocked paths,” said Mr Sadri. “To me and most of the parents I’ve talked to, we owe it to the teachers.

    “For the others who have perished, I know for the late Mr Terrence, he did help a bunch and he went up again. He’s a real hero and as for Mr Ghazi, who is still missing – undeniably – I was told by some of the kids that he helped and he went up back again,” he said.

    “All the students said they are very nice teachers. They would stay behind after school hours and work about 13 hours a day for the children and loved their job.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Heroic Teachers And Guide Should Be Awarded Singapore’s Pingat Keberanian (Medal Of Valour)

    Heroic Teachers And Guide Should Be Awarded Singapore’s Pingat Keberanian (Medal Of Valour)

    Dear Editors,

    We now hear from the parents that the teachers and guides on Mountain Kinabalu were the true heroes. Despite their injuries and without regard for their own safety, they used their bodies to shield those children under their care. This is heroism of the highest order and sadly some have paid the ultimate price. The least we can do for those teachers and the guide should be to award them with Pingat Keberanian posthumously.

    “The Pingat Keberanian (Medal of Valour), instituted in 1987, is a Singaporean decoration awarded to any person who has performed an act of courage and gallantry in circumstances of personal danger.”

    It will be a fitting award for these heroes who did everything they could to protect fellow Singaporeans. We salute them.

    These teachers should be honoured and remembered for their selfless acts so that our younger generation may learn what it truly takes to be a great teacher – not just in school but in life.

    Josie Lam
    A.S.S. Contributor

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com