Selangor Sultan Thankful For Safe Return Of 23 GSF Activists

SHAH ALAM, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has expressed gratitude for the safe return of 23 Malaysian activists who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) humanitarian mission.

His Royal Highness deeply appreciated and admired the commitment and dedication of the activists, as well as the voluntary missions undertaken by GSF to help the Palestinian people who continue to suffer under the Zionist regime.

According to a statement uploaded on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page today, Sultan Sharafuddin had been closely following developments of the GSF mission and was concerned about the plight of the activists when they were detained by Zionist forces in international waters en route to Gaza.

“His Royal Highness also extended his thanks to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for successfully securing the immediate release of all Malaysian activists with the cooperation of the Turkish government.

“Although this humanitarian aid could not be delivered to the people of Gaza, His Royal Highness hopes that GSF’s efforts will continue to open the eyes of the world and raise awareness of the oppression and atrocities committed by the Israeli Zionist regime against the people of Gaza,” the statement said.

As a guide and reference for Malaysians, Sultan Sharafuddin suggested that the 23 activists compile their journey and experiences, particularly their time in detention under the Zionist regime, into a book.

Yesterday, Emirates flight EK342 carrying 27 Malaysian volunteers, including four from the observer ship and five lawyers, landed at KLIA Terminal 1 at 10.07 pm.

On Oct 2, 23 Malaysian activists taking part in the GSF mission were detained by Zionist regime forces after their ship was intercepted in the Red Zone waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and taken to the port of Ashdod in Israel.

All of them were later released and departed from Ramon Airport, Israel, at 6.45 pm Malaysian time on Saturday, arriving in Istanbul at 8.40 pm the same evening (Malaysian time).

-- BERNAMA