Veteran journalist James Ritchie to be laid to rest Tuesday
KUCHING: Award-winning journalist James Alexander Ritchie, who died of a heart attack at Sarawak General Hospital on Saturday, will be laid to rest this Tuesday morning.
His wife, Tan Lee Fong said a funeral service will be held at St Thomas' Church, here.
'Following the release of his body from the hospital, it will be taken to St Thomas' multipurpose hall B. Wake services are scheduled for 7 pm today and tomorrow, with the funeral taking place on Tuesday morning,' she told Bernama.
Tan mentioned that the doctor confirmed James died of a heart attack at 11.40 am yesterday.
James, 75, is survived by his wife, daughter, and granddaughter.
Beginning his journalism career as a cadet reporter with The Straits Times in Kuala Lumpur at the age of 23, James rose through the ranks to become a leading journalist, particularly in Sarawak.
He covered major events and high-profile cases, including the Japanese Red Army's 1975 raid on the American Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, the capture of notorious criminal Lai See Kiaw, known as the 'Master of Disguise,' and the gangster Wong Swee Chin, better known as Botak Chin.
Throughout his career, James held several prominent roles in journalism and media, including serving as a journalist with the New Straits Times in Sarawak in 1981, public relations officer at the Sarawak Chief Minister's Department in 1998, and media consultant for Sarawak Digest in 2022.
His outstanding contributions to journalism and writing earned him numerous accolades, including the Shell Kenyalang Gold Award, AZAM Press Award, and the Ang Lai Soon Gold Award.
In 2024, he was honoured with the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) Award.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
17 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Braving bullets and bodies to reach Israeli-approved aid
WHEN university professor Nizam Salama made his way to a southern Gaza aid point last week, he came under fire twice, was crushed in a desperate crowd of hungry people and finally left empty handed. The aid site in the city of Rafah was run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new US-based organisation working with private military contractors. At the aid delivery site, known as SDS 1, queues snaked through narrow cage-like fences before gates were opened to an area surrounded by sand barriers where packages of supplies were left on tables and in boxes on the ground, according to undated CCTV video distributed by GHF, reviewed by Reuters. Salama said the rush of thousands of people once the gates opened was a "death trap." Salama's account matched the testimonies of two other aid seekers interviewed by Reuters. Salama, 52, had heard enough about the new system to know it would be difficult to get aid, he said, but his five children - including two adults, two teenagers and a nine-year-old - needed food. They have been eating only lentils or pasta for months, he said, often only a single meal a day. "I was completely against going to the aid site of the American company (GHF) because I knew and I had heard how humiliating it is to do so, but I had no choice because of the bad need to feed my family," said the professor of education administration. In total, 127 Palestinians have been killed trying to get aid from GHF sites in almost daily shootings since distribution under the new system began two weeks ago. The system appears to violate core principles of humanitarian aid, said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a major humanitarian organisation. He compared it to the Hunger Games, the dystopian novels that set people to run and fight to the death. "A few will be rewarded and the many will only risk their lives for nothing," Egeland said. "International humanitarian law has prescribed that aid in war zones should be provided by neutral intermediaries that can make sure that the most vulnerable will get the relief according to needs alone and not as part of a political or military strategy," he said. An Israeli defence official involved in humanitarian matters told Reuters GHF's distribution centres were sufficient for around 1.2 million people. Gaza's population is around 2.1 million. Salama and four neighbours set out from Mawasi, in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip, early Tuesday for the aid site, taking two hours to reach Rafah, several miles away near the Egyptian border. Shooting started early in their journey. Some fire was coming from the sea, he said, consistent with other accounts of the incidents. Israel's military controls the sea around Gaza. By the time they reached Alam Roundabout in Rafah, about a kilometre from the site, there was a vast crowd. There was more shooting and he saw bullets hitting nearby. "You must duck and stay on the ground," he said, describing casualties with wounds to the head, chest and legs. He saw bodies nearby, including a woman, along with "many" injured people, he said. Another aid seeker interviewed by Reuters, who also walked to Rafah on June 3 in the early morning, described repeated gunfire during the journey. At one point, he and everyone around him crawled for a stretch of several hundred meters, fearing being shot. He saw a body with a wound to the head about 100 meters from the aid site, he said. When Salama finally arrived at the aid point on June 3, there was nothing left. Although the aid was gone, ever more people were arriving. "The flood of people pushes you to the front while I was trying to go back," he said. As he was pushed further towards where GHF guards were located, he saw them using pepper spray on the crowd, he said. "I started shouting at the top of my lungs, brothers I don't want anything, I just want to leave, I just want to leave the place," Salama said. "I left empty-handed... I went back home depressed, sad and angry and hungry too," he said.
Barnama
a day ago
- Barnama
Pahang Offers Rich Cultural Experience To AIPA Delegation
GENERAL PEKAN, June 11 (Bernama) -- Pahang's unique culture, handicrafts and culinary offerings emerged as key highlights for the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) delegation during their four-day visit here. Sharing her experience at the Tunku Azizah Royal Craft Village in Pulau Keladi, AIPA Secretary-General Siti Rozaimeriyanty Abdul Rahman said the intricate art of Tenun Pahang Diraja stood out for its uniqueness compared to weaving traditions in other countries in the region. 'We can see a variety of handicrafts here, and as for the weaving, I noticed distinct differences in the patterns compared to those in other ASEAN countries,' she told reporters here. The visit was organised by the Malaysian Parliament in collaboration with the Pahang government, in conjunction with the 8th Meeting of the AIPA Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs (AIPACODD) 2025, held in Kuantan from June 9 to 12. Meanwhile, Siti Rozaimeriyanty also expressed her appreciation to the Malaysian Parliament and the Pahang government for holding the AIPACODD meeting outside the federal capital, which allowed delegates to gain exposure to the local culture. 'For many of us, this was our first time visiting areas outside of Kuala Lumpur, and for some, their first visit to Kuantan. ASEAN is about cultural understanding and exchange,' she said. Commenting on the AIPACODD meeting, Siti Rozaimeriyanty said it was successfully held and concluded with two draft consensus papers to be presented at the upcoming AIPA General Assembly scheduled for September. She said the meeting played a key role in supporting ASEAN's efforts to become a drug-free region and in achieving its aspiration of becoming the world's fourth-largest economy. --BERNAMA
Daily Express
a day ago
- Daily Express
Ban on night travel for university students among proposals submitted to MOHE after UPSI tragedy, says minister
Published on: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 11, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said that among the suggestions received was a proposal for university students to travel during the day, instead of at night, to enhance safety. — Bernama pic PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has received various recommendations from relevant parties on measures to prevent tragedies like the crash which claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, early Monday morning. Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said that among the suggestions received was a proposal for university students to travel during the day, instead of at night, to enhance safety. Advertisement 'Some have suggested that university students and undergraduates should travel during the day rather than at night, to enhance safety,' he told the media after the 'Luncheon Talk with Editors' session, in conjunction with the Asean-Malaysia Chairmanship 2025, at his ministry, here, yesterday. Zambry also said that he had been informed of a separate accident involving an express bus, early yesterday morning, which reportedly had students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) among its passengers. 'I only received information about the accident this morning. Fortunately, there were no injuries,' he said. In the tragic incident early Monday morning, 15 UPSI students lost their lives when the bus they were traveling in overturned at KM53 of the East-West Highway (JRTB), near Tasik Banding, Gerik. Meanwhile, media reported that 28 passengers, including 13 UMPSA students, survived after their express bus crashed into the rear of a trailer at KM161.5 of the East Coast Highway (LPT), eastbound, shortly after midnight Monday night. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
