Agong Attends Trooping The Colour Ceremony

KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah Hamidun Friday attended the Trooping the Colour of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong ceremony at Dataran Panglima Tentera Darat, Kem Perdana, Sungai Besi here.

The ceremonial pledge of allegiance of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) to the King as its Supreme Commander was held in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's birthday celebration.

Also present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The arrival of the royal couple at the venue at 8.30am was greeted with the national anthem and a 21-gun salute by the 41st Ceremonial battery of the Royal Artillery Regiment led by Lieutenant Colonel Hashim Muda.

The king then took the stage to receive a special salute from the guard-of-honour mounted officers and members of the three branches of ATM.

At the same time, five ATM helicopters, comprising three EC 725 Cougar, an Agusta A-109 LOH and a Fennec, performed a flypast overhead.

Following that, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, accompanied by ATM chief General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by 22 officers and 560 personnel of other ranks, headed by the Commanding Officer of the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Megat Ahmad Najib Megat Yunus.

After that, the combination of ATM bands, under the leadership of Captain Mohd Subri Mohd Isa, from the Royal Air Force, entered with patriotic songs.

The trooping the colour of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong followed in full military ceremony in slow and quick march tempo, followed by three shouts of Daulat Tuanku by the guard of honour.

The ceremony ended with the recital of prayers by the ATM director-general of religious corp, Major-General Datuk Kamarudin Mamat.

Tuanku Abdul Halim then received a salute from the guard of honour and a flypast by the five ATM aircraft before leaving to the rendition of Negaraku.

Also present were Cabinet ministers, senior officers from all three branches of ATM, foreign diplomats, defence attaches of several high commissions and embassies and members of the public.-BERNAMA