Day: September 4, 2011

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 04, 2011

SUBANG, Sept 4 — As Malaysians mourn the killing of a local journalist in Somalia, Noramfaizul Mohd Nor’s relatives want the non-governmental By Boo Su-LynPutera 1 Malaysia Club to be held responsible for his death.

The club — which is headed by Umno supreme council member Datuk Abdul Azeez Rahim — organised a humanitarian mission to the war-torn country that led to the Bernama TV cameraman’s death last Friday.

“They (Putera 1 Malaysia Club) are the ones who organised (the mission). They cannot lepas tangan (evade responsibility),” Noramfaizul’s uncle Abu Bakar Md Yasin told The Malaysian Insider at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here today.

“They should have done prior intelligence. Don’t just barge in. This is a foreign country,” added the 64-year-old retired civil servant from the Defence Ministry. Continue reading “NGO responsible for Bernama man’s death, says kin”

By Boo Su-Lyn
September 04, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

SUBANG, Sept 4 — Young journalists who covered a non-governmental organisation’s fatal humanitarian mission to Somalia said they were not given full training or bulletproof vests in Africa’s deadliest country for media personnel.

Bernama TV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor was killed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu last Friday when African Union peacekeepers allegedly shot at a four-wheel drive in which six mission members, including the 39-year-old, were travelling.

Astro Awani reporter Tan Su Lin, who was in the same truck with Noramfaizul during the shooting, said she was not trained on how to cover hostile zones. Continue reading “Somali mission survivors say no bulletproof vests, training”

– Centre for Independent Journalism Malaysia
The Malaysian Insider
September 03, 2011

SEPT 3 – The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia mourns the death of BERNAMA TV cameraperson Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, 41, who was killed in Mogadishu, Somalia, while travelling with a group on an aid mission for the famine-struck nation. Our heartfelt condolences go to the family and friends of the late Noramfaizul.

We welcome the Somali government’s assurance that the circumstances of his death will be investigated and conveyed to the Malaysian public, and hope that justice will be meted out to those responsible.

On their part, Malaysian authorities and organisers of such missions to conflict areas must clarify the protection measures undertaken for accompanying journalists. This would include providing journalists with a thorough safety briefing and training, as well as protective gear that should also differentiate them as journalists or neutral observers. Continue reading “Journalists’ safety in war zones”