SEPANG, Aug 23- The Chief Monk of the Buddhist Maha Vihara temple in Brickfields, Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana has postponed a working trip to Sri Lanka to attend a ceremony here Friday morning, to honour Malaysian victims of the doomed Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 aircraft.
“How could I go (to Sri Lanka) when my soul is here, feeling the sadness of affected family members,” he told Bernama during the ceremony held at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Dhammaratana, who opted for an evening flight to Sri Lanka today, said he prayed as soon as the special MAS Flight MH6129, which was carrying the remains of 20 victims comprising nine crew and 11 passengers, touched down at the KLIA.
He said his prayers were not directed to only Buddhists, but also victims of other religious denomination.Dhammaratana advised family members to be strong in facing their loss and obtain help from counselors or religious experts.
Federation of Taoist Associations Malaysia president Tan Hoe Chieow was scheduled to meet business clients today, but cancelled the appointment as the ceremony was more important.
Tan, who is also a businessman, said they would hold a special prayer ceremony for Flight MH17 victims at the Long Fei Fa Tang Temple in Taman Dewa Jaya, Kepong, on Sunday, along with National Day programmes.
Meanwhile, Yayasan 1Malaysia trustee Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye cancelled three appointments, including one with a family member, to pay his final respects to the Flight MH17 victims.He said although he did not know the victims personally, he could not contain the sadness when the hearses carrying 17 coffins and three urns passed by the tent he was sitting under.
“My condolences to all family members and we are grateful to be able to bring back the remains and give the families a sense of relief,” he said, hoping the government would continue to seek justice for the victims of Flight MH17 which was allegedly shot down.The aircraft was carrying 298 passengers and crew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine on July 17.
– BERNAMA
