A 14-year-old boy, Mohamad Amirul Asyraf Khairul Azahar, was recognised and honoured as the recipient of the 2025 Hang Tuah Medal, after he had risked his life to save his 2 differently-abled uncles from a fire in Terengganu in April.
According to a report by BERNAMA, the award, which is in conjunction with the 2025 Children’s Day Celebration, saw Mohamad Amirul also taking home RM5,000 in cash as well as RM3,000 in Amanah Saham Nasional Bumiputera (ASNB) unit trusts, which were presented to him by the Prime Minister’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Mohamad Amirul, who aspires to become a firefighter, shared that he did not expect his actions in saving his 2 uncles to be considered extraordinary enough to receive such an award.
“I feel moved because among many children, I was chosen to be the recipient of this highest award. My hope is that this award can inspire children out there to bravely face all the challenges they face in life,” he added.
What happened on the day of the fire
Mohamad Amirul further explained that, on the day of the fire, he was asleep in the living room of his grandmother’s house when he was woken up due to the heat from the fire. He then realised that the fire was coming from his uncle’s bedroom.
“The incident was around 10 AM. Without delay, I rushed into the room and saw Pak Long, who has a learning disability, just staring at the fire getting worse. I immediately shouted for my uncle and directed him to the kitchen, to go out through the back door,”
“At the same time, Pak Ngah, who also has a learning disability, was busy playing with Legos without realising that the fire was starting to spread, and I kept shouting for him before pulling him by the hand to get out,” he said, adding that at that point, he did not think about his own safety and only focused on saving his 2 uncles.
The fire ended up burning his grandmother’s house to the ground, though he is thankful that they all survived the ordeal.
A huge kudos to Mohamad Amirul for his brave actions!
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