Govt to bring home Awang Askandar's remains to fulfill his family's wish - Armizan

PAPAR - The Prime Minister's Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties) will help bring home the remains of the Kedah Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) director Lieutenant Colonel Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub who died during the Malaysia Everest 2023 (ME 2023) mission yesterday.

Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said it was to fulfil his family’s wish to bury him in his hometown in Benoni here.

"The most important thing right now is to work closely with the security forces in Nepal so that they can help us bring the body down to the base camp before we can transport the remains back to Malaysia,” he said, adding it would take about three days to take the body down to the base camp.

"Our embassy in Nepal is cooperating with the responsible teams there to help facilitate the process," he told reporters after attending the Papar parliamentary constituency and Kawang state constituency Aidilfitri celebration at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pengalat, here, today.

Awang Askandar, 56, died during the mission to conquer Mount Everest, and the matter was confirmed by APM chief commissioner Aminurrahim Mohamed after receiving notification from ME 2023 chef de mission Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor.

Armizan expressed his condolences to Awang Askandar’s family, adding that his passing has affected all APM personnel.

"At the department, we are all aware that the deceased was a very committed individual. He had been having the intention to conquer Everest for a long time.

"He went last year and before leaving he met with (Sabah) chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and this year before leaving for Nepal the group met with the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) at the Parliament building," he added.

Armizan also said he knew Awang Askandar personally when they both served at the National Civics Bureau (Biro Tatanegara).

Meanwhile, APM chief commissioner Aminurrahim Mohamed when met by reporters after visiting Awang Askandar's family in Benoni here said that he was given to understand that efforts to bring back his remains were ongoing, even in the face of bad weather conditions.

He said APM would be conducting a ceremony to commemorate and honour Awang Askandar's contributions, but at this point, they were still waiting for the retrieval operation and arrangements to bring his remains home was complete.

"He was a highly skilled officer and an important asset to us. His passing is a great loss and he will be hard to replace," he said, adding that the APM would be on hand to provide any assistance needed to Awang Askandar's family. - BERNAMA