MALAYSIAN FORMER ARMY CHIEF ZAIN HASHIM DIES

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- Former Army chief General (rtd) Zain
Hashim died at Selayang Hospital at 3.50pm Friday due to old age
illness.

He was 81.

His remains were brought to his house in Tropicana Indah, Kota Damansara,
and then to the Kota Damansara mosque for funeral prayers before burial at 10pm
at the Section 9 Muslim cemetery in Kota Damansara.

He leaves a wife, Salifah Mohd Esa and two children, Zubaidah and
Zainul Bahrain.

Zain was made a general and Army chief in the Malaysian Armed Forces from
Jan 20, 1981 until his retirement on Jan 15, 1984.

Zainul Bahrain, 38, said his late father was admitted to Selayang Hospital
since a month ago and last Friday, the doctor said it would be difficult for him
to recover.

"But like a soldier, he tried to fight it but he passed away in the presence
of family members this afternoon," he said when met at the burial.

Also present was Malaysian Armed Forces chief, General Zulkifeli
Mohd Zin.

Known for his strict discipline, the late Zain was appointed in October 2001
to head a special task force to put the trouble-ridden Malaysian Amateur
Athletics Union (MAAU) back on track by the Youth and Sports Minister at the
time, Hishammuddin Hussein, following the Malaysian athletes' poor
performance at the SEA Games one month earlier.

-- BERNAMA