Asmuni’s sister-in-law Syailina Durasat, 37, said today they had been married only eight months before they died together in the helicopter crash last Thursday.
She described their marriage as a case of everlasting love.
Noriah, who was deputy minister for plantation industries and commodities, her husband and four others were killed when the Hornbill Skyways helicopter crashed a few minutes after taking off from Betong en route to Kuching.
Her body was the first to be found and she was buried at her home village in Sungai Burong, Selangor, on Friday. Asmuni’s remains were buried near Noriah’s grave today. About 100 people, comprising family members, relatives, friends and village residents, were at the funeral.
Noriah’s younger brother, Saiful Baharim, 44, told Star Online that his sister and Asmuni had both been pupils at the village school, SK Sungai Burong.
“They wanted to be together when they finished secondary school but mum would not allow it because she said studies were more important.”
They went their separate ways. Asmuni went to the United States to study architecture while Noriah read law at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
Noriah later married and had five children from three marriages. Asmuni married an American woman with whom he had four children and settled down in New York.
The couple reconnected early last year through a gathering for schoolmates. They kept in touch and were married last September.
Noriah’s older sister, Sunarsih, 55, said her sister had been much happier after her marriage and had talked about leaving politics. “She had told us that this would be her last term as Sungai Besar MP.”
Asmuni’s younger sister Norliah Abdullah, 50, told Bernama that her brother’s four children had expressed their sadness for being unable to attend the funeral as they live with their mother in New York. He had three sons aged 21, 18 and 14 and an 18-year-old daughter.
Norliah said he had wanted to bring his children to celebrate Aidilfitri in Malaysia this year.
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