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.
"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.
NOTE: Is he really a reporter... or just a porter?