PETALING JAYA: Sukdave Singh, who was going blind from an injury sustained during the 1975 Japanese Red Army (JRA) hostage taking incident, has had his vision in one eye restored.
The long-suffering former security guard, 74, whose vision in the left eye was blurry for the past six years underwent cataract surgery last Thursday, paid for by well-wishers.
Sukdave was 29 when he lost the ability to see with his right eye after a shot fired by a militant went under the eye and out the back during the JRA siege at the American International Assurance (AIA) building here.
The injury to his eye resulted in his jaw being misaligned. It also caused headaches, blackouts and other complications, forcing multiple operations.
The cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil, were removed in the surgery at a private clinic here last Thursday.
The Malaysian Sikh Welfare Society, the Malaysian Punjabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MPCCI) and three individuals, who wished to remain anonymous, paid for the operation.
They were among several people and organisations who rallied to Sukdave’s aid after FMT’s Aug 31 report on the plight of the depressed hero.
An emotional Sukdave said yesterday: “By God’s grace and the kindness of people, I am finally able to see as normal with my left eye. I am thankful to everyone for the helping hand.”
Sukdave said he was now able to read the newspaper with his first ever pair of glasses and was looking forward to taking walks and riding his motorcycle again.
Sukdave said there were offers to repair the termite-ravaged roof of his Taman Sri Ampang home. A pest control company had offered to deal with termite infestation of his single storey terrace home at no cost, he added.
A spokesman for the firm said they hoped to complete their inspection of the house by early next week.
MPCCI president Daljit Singh Dhalliwal said the caring spirit to lift Sukdave out of his nightmare was a good sign of community togetherness.
He hoped more people would come forward to help Sukdave.
The Aug 4, 1975 incident was Malaysia’s first hostage crisis in which the ultra-leftist JRA demanded that seven of their imprisoned leaders in Japan be released.
They threatened to massacre all the 53 hostages if their demands were not met.
The fanatics stormed the ninth floor of the building and took people hostage from the US and Swedish embassies, the AIA agency office and a Japanese firm, C Itoh.
Sukdave had gone to investigate a “robbery” when he was shot. The bullet was found embedded in the wall of the elevator from where he had stuck his turbaned head out to look for the intruders.
The terrorists released the women and child hostages after two days while the last 15 male hostages were freed after another two days.
Five of the seven militants who had flown in from Tokyo were eventually sheltered by then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Sukdave only received a letter of gratitude for his bravery and a Seiko watch from then Japanese ambassador Michiaki Suma.
from Free Malaysia Today https://ift.tt/3j18cO0
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