Shukri Azam Bin Sirul Azhar,the Australian-based son of Sirul Azhar Umar.
In a handwritten letter to this masthead which Shukri asked to be published,he implored Australia to reconsider granting political asylum to his father. Sirul had his first bid rejected in 2019.
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal in NSW tossed his application out at the time,unable to determine “that a state-ordered assassination would amount to a political crime”.
Sirul has always maintained he was following commands when he and fellow bodyguard Azilah Hadri abducted a pregnant Altantuyaa,shot her twice in the head and blew up her body with explosives.
Shukri is urging a re-examination of his father’s fate.
“[When] we came to Australia[we] just wanted to start fresh new life that’s all. For the first time in my life I’m begging Australia,” says Shukri,who was only six years old at the time of the murder.
Shukri’s letter about this father.
“Please give my father[a] second chance as we haven’t done anything wrong neither in Malaysia or here in Australia. My father is a strong and humble man,even tho[sic] lots of people inside swear at him or bully him.”
He added in the letter that he had talked publicly about his father’s situation when he was a teenager in 2014 but claimed to have had his Facebook page shut down by the Malaysian government.
He said he was in poor health and owed much to Australia.
“Malaysia is very terrible for not remembering my father’s services. Australia is the one that helped me and my father a lot here,” he said.
“My health is not good,and Australia has helped me with all my medical treatments. I want to thank Australia immensely for helping me with my health and my schooling. My father and I are Malaysians but where is the Malaysian government?”
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak is seeking a royal pardon that would free him from jail for corruption.Credit:Bloomberg
Sirul has never revealed publicly who he claims gave the instruction but has previously offered to tell all if given a full pardon in Malaysia.
He and Azilah,who is on death row in Malaysia,were members of the security details for the then-defence minister Najib Razak at the time of Altantuyaa’s killing. Najib,who went on to become prime minister between 2009 and 2018,has always denied knowing the Mongolian model and having any part in the gruesome crime.
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The 69-year-old former leader was in 2022 jailed for 12 years over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal.
He is bidding to receive a royal pardon and his application has become a major political issue recently. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he would be sitting on the pardons board that decided whether to recommend that Najib be freed.
The final call rests with Malaysia’s monarch,King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
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