PUTRAJAYA: Foreign Ministry deputy secretary-general (Multilateral Affairs) Datuk Nadzirah Osman would be travelling to New Zealand to provide assistance and support to the Malaysian victims and their families in the Christchurch shooting on Friday, said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
In a statement yesterday, he said two officials from the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington are currently in Christchurch.
Datuk Nadzirah Osman
“As of 3pm Saturday, three Malaysians were injured in the shooting incident targeting two mosques in Christchurch yesterday (Friday) and all of them are currently being treated at the hospital.
“One Malaysian is still missing and effort to locate the person is ongoing,” Saifuddin added.
He also said he had spoken to New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Winston Peters to convey his condolences to the Government of New Zealand and its people, as well as to the families and friends of the victims.
“I also thank the New Zealand government for the swift action in restoring order in the affected areas and in facilitating medical treatment for victims,” Saifuddin said.
“Both the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and myself have conveyed condolence messages to the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, respectively, on Friday,” he said.
He said Malaysia stands alongside Ardern and her government in condemning all violent acts of terrorism and lead the way for sustainable peace and harmony between human beings through rational dialogue, intelligent discourse and peaceful integration between people of different race, religion and country of origins in this dark hour of evil and hatred against humanity.
Saifuddin further said Senator Fraser Anning’s statement, which blamed the deadly terrorist attacks on Friday on Muslim fanatics, New Zealand’s migration policy and the religion of Islam in general, was ‘abhorrent and morally repugnant’.
“Anning’s statement denied the reality that the shooting in Christchurch was a terrorist act against innocent Muslim community in their sacred place of worship.
“The perpetrators belonged to an extremist right-wing political organisation and the shooting was wholly unprovoked and unjustified.
“It was fundamentally a murderous crime motivated by fanaticism and extreme hatred of migrant Muslims,” he said.
Saifuddin said although Anning’s statement did not reflect the views of the Government of Australia, he (Saifuddin) was very concerned that the irresponsible and callous statement that likens Islam as a sixth-century despotic regime of endless wars, could provoke more hate crimes against Muslims worldwide.
So far, the authorities in New Zealand have confirmed 49 killed in the terrorist incident at two mosques in Christchurch, when Muslims were going for Friday prayers, while another 20 people were reported injured. — Bernama