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The Star

Publication Date : 08-03-2013

Malaysians will “fight fire with flowers” outside the Philippine Embassy to call for peace in Lahad Datu.

The event, which has gone viral on Twitter, is called Ops Bunga, to be held at 2:30pm today along Jalan Changkat Kia Peng, and Malaysians are encouraged to “flood” the embassy gates with flowers.

Organiser Joseph Lee, 37, said Ops Bunga was not a demonstration or gathering but an event for “passers-by to place flowers” as a show of solidarity and peace.

“I was looking at photographs from the demonstrations outside our Manila embassy, and I was disturbed. I discussed with friends and we wanted to do something but with a different approach.

“We want to send a message that we want peace,” said Lee, who is more commonly known as blogger KlubbKidd.

He said Ops Bunga wished to show, among other things, the Malaysian public's appreciation of our fallen heroes in Lahad Datu and Semporna and gratitude to the Philippine government for recognising the intrusion as wrong.

It is also to assure Filipinos and Suluk people in Malaysia that the country is safe, and that they are not “looked upon differently just because of the actions of a small group of intruders”.

“There will be no political agenda or slogans or T-shirts,” said Lee.

Similar events will be held simultaneously at the Sarawak Warrior Memorial in Kuching, Miri and Kota Kinabalu.