SEPANG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim presented new mobile phones to the nine Malaysian activists who joined the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza missions, upon their safe arrival at the Terminal One of KL International Airport here Sunday (Oct 12).
A representative from the Prime Minister’s Office handed over the new phones to the nine – Prof Emeritus Dr Mohd Alauddin Mohd Ali, Dr Fauziah Mohd Hassan, Dr Hafiz Sulaiman, Dr Ili Syakira Mohd Suhaimi, Dr Mohd Afandi Salleh, Dr Noorhasyimah Ismail, Norsham Abu Bakar and Astro Awani journalist Syafik Shukri Abdul Jalil.
The group had thrown all their gadgets into the sea when Israeli Defence Forces intercepted their ship Conscience 120 nautical miles off Gaza on Oct 8.
The Malaysians were part of flotillas carrying food and medicines in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) mission was the second flotilla to be intercepted in international waters this month. This mission comprised about 150 activists from 25 countries aboard nine ships, including the Conscience and Umm Saad.
On Oct 2, another group of 23 Malaysian activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla were detained by Israel while in the Red Zone in the Mediterranean Sea and were taken to the port of Ashdod, Israel.
The vessels were part of a flotilla of 42 boats with 450 activists from 47 countries carrying humanitarian aid.
They returned to Malaysia via Turkiye on Oct 7.
