Slain cameraman's body returned home

The body of BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor who was killed in Somalia on Friday was brought back here at about 10 am today.

Noramfaizul's body was flown in to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here by an RMAF C-130 aircraft, and was received by family members who had been waiting since 7am.

An air of melancholy hung over the airbase as the coffin, draped in the Malaysian flag, was brought out of the aircraft which had also flown in the remaining 54 members of the humanitarian aid mission of the Putera 1Malaysia Club headed by Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.

Noramfaizul, 39, was killed on Friday after he was shot while travelling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with other media personnel who covered the distribution of aid to victims of Somalia's famine.

Among the family members at Subang were Noramfaizul's parents, Mohd Nor Mat Yassin, 66, and Naemah Abd Majid, 63.

Also present were Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

PM: Noramfaizul a national hero

Cameramen and photographers from various media organisations enveloped the rear of the aircraft as the coffin was brought out and taken to the RMAF mosque.

Bernama chairperson Abdul Rahman Sulaiman, general manager Hasnul Hassan, editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong and BernamaTV chief editor Abdul Rahman Ahmad were also present at the RMAF base.

TV3 cameraman Aji Saregar Mazlan, who was injured in the incident in Somalia, was among those who flew home today.

Najib told a media conference at the base that he admired Noramfaizul's spirit and determination in covering several Malaysian aid missions abroad. Noramfaizul had followed aid missions to Gaza, Pakistan and New Zealand.

"I regard Noramfaizul as a national hero whose good deed should inspire us to continue helping the less fortunate," he said.

Najib extended to the family of Noramfaizul his personal condolences and also on behalf of his wife, who is the patron of the aid mission, as well as the government and people of Malaysia.

Noramfaizul's remains were taken to the RMAF mosque and then to the family home in Taman Serdang Raya before the burial at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) cemetery in Serdang.