The Armed Forces today urged the private sector to provide employment for S Kaliammal, the widow of former commando Sergeant Muhamad Abdullah or M Moorthy.

A spokesperson for the Armed Forces told Bernama that Kaliammal ( right ) would need to work to support herself and the couple's 10-year-old daughter, M Theneswary.

He said Kaliammal, 30, preferred a job in or near Rawang where she lived. She had turned down an offer by the Armed Forces for a job at the Malaysia Explosives Ordnance in Batu Arang, Sungai Buloh.

The spokesperson said Kaliammal should contact the Armed Forces Department of Veterans Affairs if she needed any assistance.

Moorthy , 36, a former member of the Malaysian Mount Everest expedition team, became paralysed from the neck down following a training accident seven years ago.

He died from injuries sustained when he fell off his wheelchair on Dec 20.

Legal tussle

Following his death, a legal tussle erupted between Kaliammal and Islamic religious authorities over his funeral rites.

The religious authorities said that he had become a Muslim but his widow claimed that he was a practicing Hindu.

The syariah court later ruled that he was a Muslim while the high court said it had no power to decide on this matter.

This ignited widespread calls to amend the constitution in order to safeguard the rights of non-Muslims.

Moorthy was buried on Dec 28 according to Islamic rites. Kaliammal is expected to file an appeal against the high court judgment next week.