China's Consul-Jeneral Urges Media To Respect Victim's Privacy

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia) Jan 31 (Bernama) -- The Consul-General of China here, Chen Peiji urges the media to respect the privacy of the victims of the tourist boat mishap who are being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as well as their families. He said the Chinese Embassy appreciated the good-hearted attitude of all Malaysians who shared the sorrow and their willingness to help the victims and their families but appealed that their privacy be respected too. "The victims have undergone a harrowing time at sea before they were found. They suffered physical and emotional pain. So, they need more treatments to heal. I appreciate the friendliness of all quarters who go to the hospital but please don't record the dialogues with the victims. "Please don't take their photographs because they have many injuries on their bodies. Leave them in a peaceful environment to recover from their injuries. Most important, don't take their photographs when publishing (news) for the public," he said. Chen said this to reporters at the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) media centre in Likas here Tuesday. On the victims who were being treated at the hospital, Chen said they were getting better. On the search and rescue (SAR) by the Malaysian authorities, Chen said he was happy at all the measures taken by the Malaysian authorities. He said the case received the attention of Malaysia's highest leadership and this clearly showed that the Malaysian authorities viewed seriously the SAR operation. Based on the briefing he received from the Kota Kinabalu District MMEA director Maritime First Admiral Adam Aziz, Chen said the SAR operation search area was expanded by using marine and air assets. "We only hope all efforts are continued. Please don't give up until all the victims who are still missing are found. I also wish to deliver a message from my president, Xi Jinping, that every missing tourist from China must be found," he said. He said MMEA informed that the SAR effort would be continued much more so at the final hours where the victims out at sea usually could still persevere. -- BERNAMA