'It is a well-known fact that media companies sending their war correspondents to the frontline invariably do so with the warning: ‘No story is worth dying for.''

Killed M'sian journalist caught in Somalia firefight

Anonymous_417c: With the benefit of hindsight a lot of readers are crying foul of the mission. Head of the aid mission, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, may be ‘ketua rempit' but in organising the mission, he is far a better person than many who warm seats in front of their computers.

If his efforts were motivated by political reasons, it is still unfair to condemn him for organising this mission. Mercy ex-boss was also shot in another aid mission, but the reaction by readers then was totally different.

A life has been lost, let us pray for his soul, and offer condolences to the family. A post-mortem of the mission is a must, of course.

Tired: Please don't be hypocrites. All of you now say the mission is stupid and waste of money, but nobody say anything when the team embarked on this mission last week.

If all of you are so far-sighted and wise about the situation in Mogadishu, you should condemn the team before they go, and not after.

ONG: Mr Tired, has it occurred to you that people did not condemn or discourage the mission to Somalia before they left perhaps because they reasonably assumed that members of the mission were fully aware that Somalia is among the most dangerous places on earth and in perpetual civil war?

How can any reasonable person condemn those who are trying to display their humanity in bringing aid to a famine-hit country and in the process also show their courage and bravery?

Now that one of their mission members has been shot dead, their shocked reactions show that in actual fact they were ignorant of the real security situation of Somalia.

Jazz Singer: It is noted that reporter Noramfaizul Mohd Nor was shot in the chest. If this is true, why were they not wearing bullet proof vests? Were they adequately protected? If not, the organisers have to answer for this.

The mission and the killing was in vain. We could have avoided this had we used existing channels to distribute the aid. We don't need to give the aid ourselves. This is not a Raya affair, where we have to be seen to be doing something for the poor and needy.

I feel for the family of the reporter. I pity those who are enlisted into this mission for the sake of providing publicity to a few.

Nasir Zihni Yusoff 3999: The mission and the killing were not in vain. Whatever the motive of the Putera Humanitarian Mission was really not important.

This was the best opportunity for the Malaysian news agency to get first-hand reports about Somalia. We must learn how to get news direct from the field if we want to have a world-class news agency. We can't rely on CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera and others.

My contention is more on the preparation and operation aspects of the mission, which I believed were not properly done.

Docs: I do feel sad for the Malaysian journalist who was killed. Somalia is a worn-torn nation that has no functioning government in place for years. Civil war is rife and Mogadishu is the centre of that war.

Aid agencies that function there are those with years of experience working in war-torn regions. Most of these aid agencies that work in Somalia work under the protection of some armed international bodies like the UN forces or the African Union.

On top of that, these agencies know if fighting erupts, they will speedily pack up and leave. Bill Clinton dispatched a peace-keeping mission to Somalia in the late 90s and after American forces got shot up badly, he withdrew his troops.

Most nations have realised that Somalia is a lost cause and since it has no oil or international terrorist activities there, they have left Somalia alone. So, with all these factors, we still sent an inexperienced aid group there.

Karma: We have to face reality. The mission is never stupid but we are wondering if we are fully equipped to carry out such a mission.

In Libya, we saw footages of British reporters in full protective gear from head to toe like soldiers. So the question is, can we first conduct a full inquiry if the aid group really did equip the reporters with bullet-proof vests and metal helmets?

'I cannot believe my dear colleague is no more'

Anonymous_417c: His death is a shock to most Malaysians. My deepest condolences to his loved ones and colleagues. Nevertheless, this venture that cost a life must be fully investigated.

Were proper protocols followed? Also, my thanks to RMAF (Royal Malaysian Air Force) for helping out in this tragedy.

Tok Karut: There is nothing said about the wearing of helmets and bullet-proof vests. Were these not supplied?

Were the journalists given a proper security briefing upon arrival and prior security training before the mission by those in a position to do so and those with close knowledge of the security situation in Somalia?

These are very basic requirements. If these are not met, the company should be liable for endangering the lives of their journalists as these are the minimum standard operating procedures in a conflict/post-conflict situation.

If the state is involved, a full inquiry must be held to apportion liability. Malaysians should demand this of those responsible.

NUJ: Employers responsible for journalists' safety

Bob Teoh: It is a well-known fact that media companies sending their war correspondents to the frontline invariably do so with the warning to them: "No story is worth dying for."

Their personal safety is of top priority. All necessary precautions must be taken. Malaysian media companies have no or little experience in covering the war zone and should not try to send their news teams out without prior preparations.

The least they do is to get them to be accredited to the Red Cross or UN agencies on the ground. Or to "attach" them to international news agencies. It is unfortunate BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul was killed.

My deepest condolence to his family. He was part of a Malaysian humanitarian aid team travelling there and not Bernama . Did the aid team take all the necessary precautions for him to do his job?

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