Malaysia’s Education Ministry to take care of education of children of journalist Asri Shafii, who died while returning from Hat Yai floods

MALAYSIA: After Mohamad Asri Shafii died after covering the stories of Malayisans needing evacuation from Hat Yai, Thailand, the Ministry of Education said it will be taking responsibility for the schooling of the six children Mr Asri left behind.

The flooding in Thailand has been unprecedentedly severe, with 145 fatalities in southern provinces as of Friday (Nov 28), according to the South China Morning Post. Over the past week, Hat Yai saw 35 mm of rain in a single day, its heaviest in 300 years, prompting the government to deploy helicopters and military ships for rescue and relief efforts amid catastrophic flooding.

According to the Thai Enquirer, there are at least 7,000 foreign tourists in Hat Yai, mostly from Singapore and Malaysia, although the actual number may be higher.

Mr Asri, 49, worked as a reporter in Perlis for Astro Awani, but had previously held stints at Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA).

He died on Nov 26.

According to his wife, Norhanani Ahmad, Mr Asri had a history of heart disease. Reports quote her as surmising that the journalist had succumbed to a heart attack because of fatigue, as he had been covering the Hat Yai floods in the days prior to his passing.

She said that his car had stopped in floodwater as he was on his way back to Perlis, and he alighted in order to give it a push. While doing so, however, he collapsed.

Mdm Norhanani added that he was worried that the flood would reach his home.

Before his passing, he left a voice note to his family where he said, “I love you all. Please take good care of yourselves.”

On the day after Mr Asri’s death, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek paid respects to Mr Asri’s family through the President of the Perlis Journalists Association (PWP), Syed Azlan Sayid Hizar.

During the occasion, the minister said that the Education Minister committed to taking responsibility for Mr Asri’s children.

He and Mdm Norhanani have two older daughters studying at Mara University of Technology and Bukit Tangga College of Agriculture, as well as four younger children in the primary and secondary levels. The family’s youngest child is 11 years old.

An outpouring of sympathy and condolences has followed Mr Asri’s passing. /TISG

Read also: Flooding in Hat Yai and other disasters: Is there a way Singaporeans can be prepared?