Karpal Singh: Condolences from U.S ambassador, staff

PETALING JAYA: U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, Joseph Y. Yun, expressed his heartfelt condolences on the death of DAP stalwart Karpal Singh.

“On behalf of the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia, I would like to express our sorrow at the news of the passing of the Honorable Karpal Singh and his assistant Michael Cornelius Selvam Vellu,” Yun said in a post on the Embassy’s Facebook page.

He said the embassy extends its condolences to their families and friends.

“As a Member of Parliament for 30 years, chairman of the Democratic Action Party, and accomplished attorney, Karpal Singh contributed significantly to the strength of Malaysia’s democratic institutions.

“His courageous persistence in his professional and political endeavours was an inspiration to us all.

"His similarly tenacious commitment to upholding the rule of law and serving the people of Malaysia will be missed.”

Karpal was killed when the car he was travelling in collided with a five-tonne lorry near Gua Tempurung on the North South Expressway here early Thursday.

The impact of the crash at about 1am killed Karpal and his assistant, C Michael, on the spot. Karpal’s son, Ramkarpal, and the car’s driver, C Selvam, were injured.

Karpal’s Indonesian domestic helper was also injured and is in critical condition. He was on his way to Penang to attend a court case later in the day.