Ron Mark
Spokesperson for Defence
Spokesperson for Veterans Affairs

19 NOVEMBER 2015

PM WRONG OVER ‘MALAYSIAN 36’ – BRING THEM HOME

Prime Minister John Key is cold hearted in refusing to repatriate “the Malaysian 36” – Kiwi war dead lying in graves dotted around Malaysia, says New Zealand First.

“Mr Key claims to have ‘got it right’, but the only country that can be applied to is Australia where the government will repatriate war dead home, says Spokesperson for War Veterans Ron Mark.

“Mr Key claims it is a delicate matter and too difficult because only some families want the bodies returned. This is nonsense. It is the PM making it unnecessarily complex.

“The simple and compassionate decision would be to honour the wishes of the Families of The Forgotten Fallen.

“The Prime Minister has no guarantee that a soldier’s grave by a motorway, or under a rail bridge, will be respected in the future and remain accessible to the family, as a Commonwealth war grave would.

“The cost of repatriation of bodies of Kiwi soldiers from the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War is not prohibitive, particularly in the light of the $26 million Mr Key is spending to change the flag they served under. If their families want them buried in New Zealand they should be. It’s that simple.

ENDS

© Scoop Media