PENDANG: The family of Senior Non-Commissioned Officer from Malaysian Battalion 850-11 (Malbatt 850-11), Sergeant Faridah Abd Rahman, who died in Lebanon on Saturday (May 18), have come to terms with her passing, describing it as a peaceful departure.
Her mother, Salmah Hassan, 57, said that although they are deeply saddened, the family accepts the reality and is grateful for the time they had with Faridah at their family home in Sungai Mati, Tobiar near here, before she returned to her duties for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) peacekeeping mission last Friday (May 17).
"She was only 39, but she passed away while serving in a very honourable manner, and I accept this fate. Throughout her life, she never troubled me, was never sick, and was always healthy.
"She always had a strong passion for the military. She went through many interviews before finally securing this job," she told Bernama when met at her home in Tobiar here on Sunday night (May 19).
Salmah said that before departing for Lebanon in November last year, her daughter had been stationed at the Sungai Petani Airport Camp and had served in the military for 18 years.
"When she received the order to work in Lebanon, she arranged for her children to return to school in the village. Her husband is also from here, so it was easier to manage the children with the family close by," she said, adding that the news of her daughter's death was personally delivered by senior military officials who visited her home yesterday morning.
Faridah's husband, Noor Azmi Ariffin, 39, said his wife had been healthy throughout her month-long holiday in the village and never complained of feeling unwell until the day she left for Lebanon last Friday.
"She never had any illnesses. The only times we went to the hospital were for our third daughter, who has Down syndrome and a heart condition that requires ongoing treatment.
"Our other children are coping as usual. The younger ones don't quite understand yet, but the older ones do," said Noor Azmi, who is self-employed.
The couple's children are Nurul Syifa, 13; Muhammad Afnan, 10; Nurul Jannah, 7; and Ainul Mardiah, 4.
Earlier, the Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters (MK ATM) reported that the Malbatt member passed away at 2.25 a.m. Lebanese time (7.25 a.m. Malaysian time).
According to MK ATM, Faridah, who served as the Malbatt 850-11 Islamic Affairs senior supervisor at Camp Marakah, collapsed after disembarking from a bus at the camp and was pronounced dead by medical officers. – Bernama
