IPOH, April 23 — The teenage daughter of Commander Muhamad Amir Mohamad said she was attending a pastry class at school when she was informed that he had perished in a helicopter crash this morning.
Nuraina Farhana, 16, who lives in the dormitory at the Kuala Kangsar Vocational School, said she received the tragic news from a teacher while she was baking in the workshop today.
“The last time I saw my father was on Sunday (April 21) but nothing much stood out, everything was as usual,” said the crestfallen teenager at the Forensic Department of the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital today.
Asked about the nature of her father, she described him as a man of few words but who always met the needs and requests of his children.
Nuraina has big shoes to fill as the next bread-winner in the family, as her mind flickers back to her fondest moments with her military father.
“The memory I will cherish most is that my dad always took me to play futsal when I was a child,” she said, adding that Amir will be buried at Kampung Sitiawan tomorrow after the post-mortem procedures are completed.
The Commanding Officer of Squadron 502 leaves behind wife Marliati Basri, 40, and three children: Nuraina, who is the eldest, a 13-year-old daughter, and a four-year-old son.
He was among 10 Navy personnel who died when two helicopters collided and crashed at the Royal Malaysian Navy Base in Lumut, Perak, at 9.32am today.
Meanwhile, in Manjung, M. Sivanesan, 23, the cousin of a Navy personnel who died in the collision, found himself quaking when the tragic news about Lt. T. Sivasutan’s death hit home.
He was working in Manjung before the news of the crash came in snatches at 10.30am through information and pictures and a viral video on social media.
He was initially worried about his brother’s status, who is also with the Navy and one of the pilots. He quickly contacted his mother for confirmation.
However, despite being relieved that his brother was not involved, Sivanesan said he was heartbroken when his mother confirmed that his cousin Sivasutan, 31, was among the victims.
“When I heard this, my body was shaking. It is really sad because he always came to my house.
“I used to like uniformed units, but over time, I liked tourism more. He always said that if you aim for something, work hard until you get it, and finally, I managed to get a diploma in tourism management,” he said at the home of the late Sivasutan’s parents in Sitiawan tonight.
The deceased’s parents R. Paramesvary, 60, and M. Thanjappan, 61, were still in tears tonight.
Sivasutan’s wife Tharshini, 31, is a dentist, while his younger sister and older sister are currently at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital for the post-mortem report before taking the body of Sivasutan home for prayers and finally to Sitiawan for cremation.
— Bernama
