Singapore honours mountain guides on the 10th anniversary of Sabah earthquake
KOTA KINABALU: The Singapore High Commission honoured the mountain guides of Mount Kinabalu who played a crucial and heroic role in saving lives in the deadly June 5, 2015 Sabah earthquake.
A team led by High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon hosted a reception for the mountain guides from the Kinabalu Mountain Guides Association in Kundasang in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the earthquake that killed 18 people including primary school children from Singapore.
Vanu Gopala also presented 30 pairs of shoes to association members as part of the symbolic gesture of appreciation to the guides for their bravery in rescuing and saving lives at the mountain in the aftermath of the earthquake.
'The tragic Sabah earthquake in 2015 affected the lives of many people, including several Singaporeans. My team and I came to honour the mountain guides who played a very important role in rescuing the climbers and helping to retrieve the bodies of the deceased.
"In 2016, we hosted a reception to thank the mountain guides and kept in touch with them. Ten years after the earthquake, we continue to express our gratitude. Their courage will not be forgotten." he said after the simple ceremony on Wednesday (July 23)
Vanu Gopala also expressed gratitude to the Malaysian and Sabah governments for the assistance they rendered during the earthquake.
"Singapore and Malaysia are close neighbours. As neighbours, we help one another, especially during difficult situations. In times of tragedy, we have looked beyond our nationalities and treated each other as people first,' he added.
A total 18 people including seven students from Singapore's Tanjong Katong Primary School and two teachers were killed in the 7.15am earthquake that also took the life of two mountain guides and other climbers.
Mountain guides turned heroes that tragic day as they determinedly made new paths through the debris blocked or landslide hit trails to bring about 130 stranded and some injured climbers back to safety.
In the absence of any outside assistance due to erratic weather conditions on the mountain, the guides decided to find a way out for the stranded as aftershocks and dropping temperatures at the summit area could cause more fatalities among survivors.
Most of the stranded and injured victims were brought down to safety at Timpohon gate by about 2am on June 6, 2015, averting a potentially major disaster if the stranded climbers continued to remain at the summit area.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
13 hours ago
- Barnama
LTAT Releases Touching Video In Conjunction With Warriors' Day
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Bernama) -- The Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) has produced a special short video titled 'Atuk, Apa Tu?' (Grandpa, What's That?) in conjunction with the 2025 Warriors' Day celebration. The video is a tribute to the sacrifices of the national heroes in defending the country's peace and sovereignty. LTAT chief executive officer Mohammad Ashraf Md Radzi said the video highlights the true story of retired Royal Malay Regiment (RAMD) veteran Colonel (Rtd) Zulkifli Datuk Tahir, who lost his right leg after stepping on a landmine while leading the 9th Battalion RAMD reconnaissance platoon in an operation against communist insurgents in Gubir, Kedah, in 1986. He said the short film is not just a historical record but also a symbol of gratitude and deep appreciation for the service and courage of Malaysian soldiers. 'This Warriors' Day, we don't just want to commemorate, we want every Malaysian to appreciate it. 'Through this short film, we express our appreciation to those who dared to walk into danger so that the rest of us could walk peacefully into the future,' he said in a statement today. Mohammad Ashraf also pointed out that LTAT is not only responsible for planning sustainable retirements for Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) personnel but is also committed to ensuring their legacy, dignity, and service are continuously honoured. 'Colonel Zulkifli's story reminds us that behind every uniform is a person, a family, and a future that was forever changed,' he said. The 3-minute 31-second video was produced in collaboration with ATM and the Strategic Communications Unit of the Ministry of Defence through the Military Training Academy in Sungai Besi, Selangor.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Perak Sultan attends state Warriors' Day celebration
IPOH: Perak Ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah attended the Perak Warriors' Day celebration at Dataran Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here on Monday (July 31). Also in attendance were Raja Muda Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa and Raja Di Hilir Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah. His Royal Highness' arrival at 9am was welcomed by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Western Armada Rear Admiral (Laksaman Muda) Datuk Pahlawan Abdul Halim Shaari (representing the Commander of the Western Armada), Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Noordin and 2nd Infantry Brigade Brigadier-General Mohamad Rosli Abu Bakar, (Panglima Brigade). The ceremony started with the singing of the Perak anthem, followed by the inspection of a guard-of-honour by Sultan Nazrin which consisted of three police officers and 102 members of other ranks. The guard-of-honour was led by Supt Mohd Aster Mohamad, assisted by Deputy Supt Ahmad Auzan Mohd Noor. The flag bearer (pegawai pembawa panji- panji) was Insp Mohd Nor Syahid Shaharum. A total of 408 participants made up the ceremonial detachment, comprising officers and members of various security forces, along with Malaysian Armed Forces veterans and retired Royal Malaysia Police personnel. The KD Pelandok brass band, consisting of 45 members led by Lieutenant Muhamad Ali Rajaie Nor Mohamed of the Royal Malaysian Navy, was a musical accompaniment for the ceremony. Once the guard-of-honour ceremony was over, the Last Post was played and the Malaysian flag was then lowered. The ceremony then continued with the recitation of a prayer by Insp Adib Azimat and followed by the recitation of a poem entitled 'Blood of the Warriors on the Land of Freedom, jointly recited by Lieutenant Hadzeri Julai of the 503rd Regiment of the Territorial Army and Corporal Nurul Syuhada Azmi from the Perak police headquarters. Once finished, the "Rouse" was played and the Malaysian flag was raised again, followed by the Perak anthem sung before the guard-of-honour left the parade, marking the end of the ceremony. Sultan Nazrin attended a reception at the Banquet Hall before leaving. Warriors Day is annually celebrated nationwide on July 31 to honour the heroes who have sacrificed and served the country in the name of freedom. It is also held to honour their contributions in defending Malaysia's peace and sovereignty. Looking back at history, July 31, 1960, marks the official end of the Emergency (Darurat) in Malaya. Since then, July 31 has been declared Warriors' Day in Malaysia.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Autogate glitch exposes system weaknesses
AT about noon on July 18, more than 200 Immigration autogates nationwide suddenly went offline for foreigners, causing chaos in almost all major entry points whether air, sea or land. For more than 24 hours, over 500,000 foreign passport holders, unable to clear Immigration using the autogate facility, were forced to undergo slow and time-consuming manual screenings. Since June 1 last year, visitors from 63 countries, as well as diplomats stationed in Malaysia and their families, have been eligible to use the autogate facility for quicker clearance. The disruption did not affect Malaysian passport holders, who continued to use the autogates without issues, while the QR code-based MyBorderPass system also operated smoothly. The Star was the first media outlet to report on the chaos. Images of long queues at major gateways such as KL International Airport Terminals 1 and 2, and Johor's Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) and Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ (KSAB), circulated widely. Some of the visitors at BSI were forced to queue up for more than five hours to clear Immigration because weekends are the busiest with many Singaporeans coming into the country for food, leisure and shopping. Hundreds of visitors who were unable to endure the long waits, mainly the elderly, decided to turn back to Singapore. At the BSI complex, there are 39 autogates for exit and 29 for entry, while KSAB has 12 in operation. Hundreds of immigration officers nationwide were forced to work long hours during the weekend to clear the backlog of visitors. A large crowd waiting to clear immigration at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ on July 19 following the autogate system failure. — Filepic Malaysian Border Control and Protection (AKPS) director-general Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain reported that approximately 380,000 people were affected at the BSI checkpoint alone due to the autogate malfunction. AKPS said the breakdown was due to a data integration disruption, leading to cross-checking delays within MyIMMs, the Immigration Department's application system. Checks also showed that the glitch, the worse in Malaysia's history, was linked to the Interpol screening system used for foreign nationals. This server, based in Putrajaya, is used as a screening tool to check visitors if they have any red-flags or notices for criminal or terrorist activities. This incident raised critical questions: How could such an embarrassing failure occur? What has happened to the maintenance of our sensitive hardware and software? Does this mean that, for over a day, Malaysia's borders were vulnerable to international criminals or terrorists entering without proper screening? Authorities have been quick to assert that there was no element of sabotage or cyberattacks involved. This incident underscores the urgent need for agencies like AKPS and the Immigration Department to have robust backup systems or contingency plans for major system failures. It is essential to ensure that funds are properly allocated for system upgrades and maintenance, and that competent vendors and contractors are appointed to manage these systems. There should also be a postmortem to identify system weaknesses, and the agencies need to update their standard operating procedures (SOP) when it comes to crisis management. Our National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe), which is set to replace the archaic MyIMMs, also needs to be operating at top form without any hiccups. The first phase of the new system is expected to be completed next year, hopefully in time for Visit Malaysia and also Visit Johor 2026 tourism campaigns. As we get ready to welcome millions of visitors into the country, Malaysia cannot afford another embarrassing system crash like this.
