Defence Ministry prepared to deploy assets to quake-hit Lombok

KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry is prepared to deploy assets to Indonesia's quake-hit island of Lombok if necessary, said Mohamad Sabu (pic).

The Defence Minister said he would first discuss the matter with Armed Forces Chief Tan Sri Jen Zulkifli Zainal Abidin.

"We are prepared to help," he said when speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby on Monday (July 30).

A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Lombok on Sunday (July 29), killing 14 people, injuring 162 people and damaging thousands of houses.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Sabu called on the people to differentiate between the struggle of the rakyat and the communist.

“Some people fought for the rakyat but were mistakenly called communists back then. As such, we need to differentiate between the communists and freedom fighters and remember who deserves a place in our history books,” he said.