Ambassador Edgard D Kagan, US Embassy, Kuala Lumpur
16 June
Dear Ambassador Kagan
We have had no reply from you for a meeting. Not unexpected but disappointing all the same.
Talking to us, whether yourself or via delegated individuals, would have been a means of engagement with a diverse group of people in this country – a group of citizens and residents of Malaysia who see the US in critical light for its enablement of Israel’s excrescence on the human conscience.
You can ignore ordinary folks like us. But you cannot ignore the views we represent. With US enablement and co-perpetration, Israel continues to occupy, displace, dispossess and continues the mass murder of Palestinians while in the dock for genocide by the ICJ [International Court of Justice]. It continues to intentionally inflict starvation on an entire civilian population and bring death to degrees either insane or barbaric.
In recent days, Israel displayed again its habitual impunity by kidnapping activists for justice in international waters bringing aid to the blockaded Gazan population. They posed no threat to Israel thus invoking no question of self-defence. They were not even within Israel’s waters. They were unarmed as was their ship which was UK flagged and was thus not under Israeli jurisdiction.
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Yet they were boarded, commandeered and hauled to Israel to be deported without even first intruding on Israel.
Such is the impunity, petulance and disregard for international law enabled by the likes of the US, endorsed by the silence and complicity of the likes of the US.
Ambassador Kagan, some things are self-evident. The deeply wrongful, egregious actions of Israel for many decades is one of them. You, as ambassador of the US, will have your answers as you did in your reply of 2 May 2025 to us. We thank you for having taken the trouble to reply.
But we also note the standard diplomatic nature of that reply that was really quite meaningless. This is further evident from events since with the humiliation and shooting of the starving, and the escalation of war and violence.
Shameful.
That is why we hoped to engage with you (or whoever you might delegate that engagement to). We are all lost if we cannot recourse to civil engagement towards just political solutions in the midst of wanton, lopsided violence.
We said in our initial letter to you of 10 April 2025 that we recognised that you have a job but that you also have a heart. We don’t expect you can do much even if we spoke but each bit counts – for both parties.
Perhaps you (and your staff) are fully comfortable with US policies on the issue. Perhaps you are not but have a job to do despite your discomfort and you thus have to propagate and defend the line.
Perhaps it is neither of the above. Perhaps it is a blunt dullness that has seeped in from a “banality of evil”, or some combination of all the above.
We are not condemning. On the contrary, as human beings on the outside, we sympathise with your position whichever of the above it might be.
It could be said that the mission of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is to advance the interests of the United States in Malaysia with you as its head. You could even say that speaking with us was a chance to do that.
In any case, in the gentlest, uncondemning way possible, in the prevailing moral circumstances, where doing something for justice is so important, resigning from your job may be one of the most meaningful things you can do.
Our best wishes.
Sincerely
Tong Veng Wye, Cathie Sanchez, Sarah Amin, Annelies Allain, Jean Pierre Allain, Rose Salleh, Awangku Abdul Rahman, Mahmuda Bibi, Kevin Ooi Wey Hun, Zulfikar Aziz, Anwar Fazal, Pier Garcia, Aaron Hor, Jennifer Mourin, Zoe Olsommer, Teoh Seng Aun, Agnes James, Henry Loh Kee Wey, Astadilla Mohd Zamri, Amer Mahfudz Md Fuad, Yeng Su Ying, Meena Raman, Agatha Foo, Nazari Ismail, Tim Lim
*****
5 June
Dear Ambassador Kagan
We write again to request a meeting with you. You are the ambassador of the United States in Malaysia. Regard us, a group of rational citizens and residents, as touchpoints with whom to engage in this country in your role.
Your reply of 2 May spoke of the United States’ stand for peace and stability in West Asia. It spoke of President Trump’s emphasis on the urgent need for medicine and food in Gaza.
More than a month later the century of historical injustice in Palestine continues to manifest its worst in Gaza and the West Bank through brutal armed might, careless mass death and dispossession.
The President’s emphasis on medicine and food has turned into a disaster within a disaster where starvation continues to be used as a weapon on an entire population – an inhuman absurdity.
All this is done with key enablement by the United States.
And now, just in recent hours, at this stage, yet another UN Security Council veto from the US against a resolution calling for immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza.
How is this not an extreme act (14 in favour: 1 against, US) in the chambers of the UN? Convince us, a group of rational human beings in the country.
As said before, ordinary people too have a role, especially when faced with gross inhumanity.
We thus need to talk to you as you represent the United States.
In anticipation.
Tong Veng Wye (on behalf of the group)
*****
27 May
Dear Ambassador Kagan
Have you seen them? Like this. Not even on social media but on mainstream media.
Like this. Above. Shrunken. Eyes popping out. Five months old. Wrinkled. Malnourished.
In Gaza. Five months old.
Ambassador Kagan, have you seen them? Ribs in ridges on sagging skin. Individual vertebrae protruding from the back.
Have you seen them? The pained face. But still a child’s face.
Do you see the child in that face? That shares the innocence of children everywhere. Including your own.
This cannot be right. Yet, it continues. Wilfully. With impunity. En masse. With enablement by the United States.
It is 3am.
Perhaps, no, we trust. Such as this keeps you awake too.
Meet with us Ambassador Kagan. As we have asked repeatedly below.
You represent the United States in this country. We need to talk to you.
A few of us are active in supporting the people of Palestine. Many of us are just individuals who see the wrong that’s going on.
For good measure, none ‘antisemitic’.
You could ignore us. But you need to engage the views we represent.
As we have said, 24 is too many to engage. Set a time for us and a few of us will come with the intention of a useful exchange.
Sincerely
Tong Veng Wye (on behalf of the group)
*****
19 May
Dear Ambassador Kagan
We write to follow up with our request below to meet with you. We are still hoping it can happen in some way.
Events have had further springklings of words but meantime have turned more dire and deadly on a daily basis.
As we said, ordinary people too have a role. Our thoughts and opinions behoove your engagement as ambassador.
We look forward to your reply.
In anticipation.
Tong Veng Wye (on behalf of the group)
*****
9 May
Dear Ambassador Kagan
Thank you for your reply of 2 May 2025. We note the information conveyed.
We truly hope the efforts you refer to – to reinstate the supply of food, medicine and aid – will bear fruit as soon as possible, as immediately as possible. Wilful starvation and deprivation of an entire population have no justification no matter how one looks at it – even more so in this day and age.
Equally, the bombardment has to stop. The bombardment and military retaliation are egregiously out of proportion.
Ambassador Kagan, we are a diverse group of thinking citizens and residents of Malaysia. Ordinary people too have a role. We believe in the need for dialogue at various levels between parties of differing viewpoints to help build a long overdue solution to the problem of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
We have questions on the other initiatives mentioned in your reply. As previously requested, do sit down and have a useful conversation with us. 24 of us is too many for you to meet. But if you set up a slot, a handful of us will come with the intention of a meaningful discussion.
Thank you.
In anticipation.
Tong Veng Wye (on behalf of the group)
*****
2 May
Dear Mr. Tong Veng Wye,
Thank you for contacting the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur via email and registered mail. We have received your correspondence outlining your concerns about the crisis in Gaza.
The United States stands for peace and stability in the Middle East, and is committed to achieving a ceasefire in Gaza. President Trump recently emphasized the urgent need for medicine and food in Gaza and assured that efforts are underway to address these needs. Secretary Rubio is also actively working with Israel, Arab partners, and the European Union to shape post-war governance in Gaza and to lay the groundwork for Arab-led reconstruction efforts, aligning with President Trump’s long-term vision for peace.
Kind Regards,
The U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur
*****
25 April
Dear Ambassador Kagan
This is the second follow-up to our email and AR registered letter of 10 April 2025 in which we appealed to you out of humanity to do something in your capacity as ambassador to influence a halt to the continued killing by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The killing is at will with Palestinian children and civilians its victims by the tens of thousands; abhorrent by any measure.
The outright killing is accompanied by the wilful starvation of a population through the blockade of food and supplies into Gaza.
In our letter we asked: Please Ambassador Kagan, do something, as much as you are able to. You have a job but you also have a heart – please influence a lifting of the Israeli blockade on aid and supplies into Gaza and a stop to the supply of weapons to Israel.
There has been neither reply nor acknowledgement. We are thus reminding you again. We also maintain our hope that we will have the opportunity to meet and talk to you.
The undersigned has tried to call the embassy more than once to ascertain that the email address used so far is a functioning one. But each time running the gauntlet of the automated answering system has failed to get an operator on the line. Thus, this email is sent also to the Press Office’s email address to make sure it gets somewhere.
In anticipation.
Tong Veng Wye (on behalf of the group)
*****
18 April
Dear Ambassador Kagan
We emailed you a week ago the letter below regarding the catastrophe that continues in Gaza. The letter, as your office will know, was also sent by AR registered post.
We don’t believe we have received a reply. We very much hope you will reply and for a chance to meet and talk to you.
We wish to bring in person a humane plea to do what you can to influence a stop to the effectively unrestrained mass killing and starvation being inflicted by Israel’s bombardment and supply blockade of Gaza.
MSF [Doctor Without Borders] now describes Gaza as a mass grave. Something is tremendously wrong with such a one-sided and continued use of overwhelming force resulting in the wilful creation of a mass grave with children in the thousands among the dead.
Please do something, Ambassador Kagan. Please reply and talk to us.
Sincerely
Tong Veng Wye (on behalf of the group)
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
