REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE RETURNS TO TUGU NEGARA, HONOURING THE FALLEN DESPITE HEAVY RAIN

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- More than 300 people gathered at Tugu Negara on Sunday morning to commemorate Remembrance Day, despite the heavy downpour, marking the return of the event to the national monument after a two-year hiatus.

Among the attendees were foreign ambassadors, high commissioners and defence attachés in Malaysia, as well as representatives from the Malaysian Armed Forces, veterans' associations, local societies, and schools.

Speaking at the service, Acting British High Commissioner David Wallace said that Remembrance is a moment to “pause and honour the service and sacrifice of others rather than our own trials and tribulations”.

“They all shared the common theme that we - the living - have a responsibility to remember those who came before us and their sacrifices, and to ensure we do not forget - a duty not to take peace for granted,” he said. 

Wallace noted that, over the past two years, he had attended Remembrance events in Labuan, Batu Gajah, and Taiping, but expressed his pleasure at returning to Tugu Negara for this year’s observance.

The service was marked by a choir performance by school children and the reading of passages by officials from the Malaysian Armed Forces and their counterparts from the United Kingdom.

A two-minute silence was observed to honour the fallen heroes.

The ceremony ended with the traditional laying of wreaths at the base of the Cross, a solemn tribute to those who gave their lives in the name of peace.

Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day, is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.

It is held on the second Sunday of each November.

-- BERNAMA