MISSION TO CREATE AWARENESS TO CONTINUE, SAYS JOURNALIST ASHWAD

SEPANG (Malaysia), June 6 (Bernama) -- "Despite the bitter experience, I am
determined to carry on creating awareness in the world community towards the
atrocities of the Israeli regime," said Ashwad Ismail, a Malaysian peace
activist who had joined a recent humanitarian aid mission to blockaded Gaza.

Ashwad, 25, who is a broadcast journalist with Astro Awani, Malaysia's 24-hour
news and information channel, said he would continue to discharge his
responsibility to disseminate news to the people, wherever he might be.

"Our mission remains uncompleted. The mission to uphold reality has yet to be
carried out. Only a portion of the conflict in West Asia could be highlighted in
this mission," he told reporters at the Bunga Raya Complex of the KL
International Airport (KLIA), here.

Ashwad and 11 other Malaysian peace activists, who had also been on the recent
Gaza aid mission, flew into KLIA at 5.40am (Malaysian time) Sunday and were
received by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department Ahmad Maslan and the activists' family members.

The Malaysians were among the activists who had been on board the Turkish aid
ship "Mavi Marmara", part of an aid flotilla, which was stormed by Israeli naval
forces on Monday in waters near Gaza, resulting in the deaths of nine of the
activists.

The 12 Malaysians who returned today were accompanied by Foreign Minister Anifah
Aman and ministry officials. They had flown from Amman, Jordan, to Istanbul,
Turkey, where they took a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Although they were exhausted by the several hours of flying, all the volunteers
looked happy and were touched by the reception accorded them, including by their
family members.

The reciting of "doa selamat" prayers, the singing of Nasyid songs and the
shouts of "Allahuakbar" (God is Great) by the well-wishers helped to renew the
spirit of the volunteers following the difficult period they had gone through as
detainees of the Israeli military.

Ashwad said that though the aid mission had to be aborted, he felt that a
victory of sorts had been achieved.

"We have sparked a new wave towards isolating Israel from the world's
geopolitical landscape. The plundering and anti-Islamic attitude of the Israelis
towards Palestine over six decades has had great consequences.

"Children are denied food, elders do not have proper jobs, education,
medicines; this has touched the hearts of Malaysians who have held to the principle
of democracy through consensus since 1957," he said.

He said the pressure brought on by the international community on Israel would
somewhat force the regime to adhere to certain norms.

"Jewish leaders not only in Turkey but in European countries as well are
condemning the atrocities of Israel. We see now that there was no violence in
the seizure of the (aid ship) Rachel Corrie though they were in a similar
situation as we. There was no struggle or bloodshed," he said.

The Rachel Corrie, the last of the ships in the aid flotilla, was seized by the
Israelis yesterday and escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Asked to relate his experience as a detainee of the Israeli military, Ashwad
said the psychological pressure was most unbearable during the 28 hours under
detention.

Israel is notorious for mental torture. No physical harm was inflicted but there
were all kinds of mental pressure. We hardly visit prisons in Malaysia; I have
never been in one. But having been in an Israeli prison is suffering enough,
having to face their cruel actions," he said.

For Astro Awani cameraman Shamsul Kamal Abdul Latip, 43, who was also a member
of the mission, the experience of being under Israeli detention was most
painful.

"We were forced to be under the sun on the Israeli vessel for 15 hours before
arriving at Ashdod port. It was difficult for us then to even have a drink. We
tried to pass drinks to one another in what little way we could, considering
that we had our hands tied up.

"Our things, such as cameras and other equipment, were seized. We thought that
was the last we would see of our belongings. However, the office processing the
seized goods returned them to us. Unfortunately, some of the equipment was
damaged during the rough handling by the Israeli military," he said.

Asked whether he would accept another similar assignment, Shamsul Kamal said he
would have to think about it after taking a complete rest to calm his mind.
-- BERNAMA