New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia, Dr John Subritzky, said his government had recently decided to provide an opportunity to the families of 34 defence personnel buried in Malaysia to repatriate their remains to their country.
“This decision has been made to restore fairness to those affected families,” he said when addressing the Anzac Day dawn service here today.
Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first campaign in 1915 which led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during World War 1.
Subritzky said during an earlier era, families could decide to repatriate the remains at their own cost, but many could not afford to do so.
“We’ll work very closely with the Malaysian authorities, as both our countries honour the sacrifices of these soldiers and honour the wishes of families who want them brought home,” the high commissioner said.
Subritzky also expressed New Zealand’s gratitude to the government and people of Malaysia for the great care and respect shown to the graves of New Zealand defence personnel.
He paid tribute to members of the New Zealand and Australian defence forces who put themselves at risk in the world’s conflict zones today.