Malaysia: Remembrance Sunday memorial service goes virtual
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing local movement restriction, the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial service at Tugu Negara had to be called off this year.
British High Commissioner to Malaysia His Excellency Charles Hay MVO and the Defence Adviser Group Captain Simon Hindmarsh paying a visit to Tugu Negara and laying wreaths at the Cenotaph.
It is important nonetheless to remember those who served during both World Wars and other conflicts. On the Sunday morning of 8 November, British High Commissioner to Malaysia His Excellency Charles Hay MVO and the Defence Adviser Group Captain Simon Hindmarsh paid a visit to Tugu Negara and laid wreaths at the Cenotaph.
For the first time, Remembrance service in Malaysia went virtual this year with a series of pre-recorded social media videos. They featured the 96-year old war veteran James Jeremiah from Penang and 74-year old British veteran Paul Thompson offering words of Remembrance, as well as school children reciting Remembrance poems.
Commenting on Remembrance Day, High Commissioner Hay said:
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan and the end of the Second World War. Although we were obliged to cancel our usual Remembrance Sunday memorial service, this does not represent any dilution of our purpose, nor our sincerity. We remember those who sacrificed their lives fighting for peace and for our liberty. We must never forget the price they paid and continue to honour their legacy.
Apart from laying the wreath at Tugu Negara last Sunday, over the past months I have also laid wreaths at the Commonwealth War Graves in Taiping, Sandakan and Labuan.
Every year, Remembrance Day is held at the Tugu Negara in Kuala Lumpur on the Sunday nearest to Armistice Day on 11 November. The date marks the official end of the First World War in 1918.