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Malaysian journalist slammed for poking at body part at MH17 crash site

A journalist from online portal Malaysia Gazette has come under fire for poking at a piece of skin he had come across at the site where Malaysia Airline flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, as shown in a video recently uploaded to its website.

The video was removed following outrage from social media users and fellow journalists who flayed the Gazette reporter for his unprofessional behaviour.

The journalist, identified as Khairuddin Mohd Amin, was shot on video using a stick to poke at an object at the crash site in Donetsk, Ukraine – which looked like a body part of one of the victims of the disaster.

"There seem to be remains and body parts lying around the crash scene. We have found a piece of skin," a website reported Khairuddin as saying on air.

The body part, which was charred, was also shown for several seconds when cameraman Noorasrekuzairy Salim zoomed in.

Twitter user @klubbkiddkl posted on the social networking and microblogging service, tagging the news portal: "Dear @MalaysiaGazette – is this indeed your chief reporter? – MEMALUKAN!!!!

"@MalaysiaGazette that was just wrong in so many ways. Have some damn respect for victims of MH17!"

@shameonyoumy said: "Wartawan Malaysia Gazette tidak hormat Jenazah MH17, jolok dengan kayu!" (Malaysian journalist is not respectful of of MH17 bodies, poking it with a stick)

Malaysia Gazette is a year-old news portal whose mission and vision is "to listen to the voices of Malaysians and to present that in writing to be shared by public and channelled to the rightful parties for action".

At least three other journalists, including Sky News' Colin Brazier, have been criticised for tampering with victims' belongings at the crash site.

Brazier had rifled through a luggage on air before realising his mistake. He later apologised.

Phil Williams from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had also poked around the wreckage at the crash site, lifting a scarf which was attached to the wreckage of the plane as well as a seat.

Dutch news reporter Caroline Van Den Heuvel was also taken to task for rifling through personal items and reading through the diary of an MH17 victim at the crash site, forcing her news organisation, Een Vandaag, to issue an official apology. – July 26, 2014.