Candlelight vigil for Aleesha Farhana

Some 50 people turned up for a candlelight vigil that was held last night in memory of the late Aleesha Farhana. 

Aleesha was a male-to-female transsexual who recently applied to change her name and gender on her MyKad and identity documents at the Kuala Terengganu High Court. However, her application was rejected by Judge Datuk Mohd Yazid Mustafa. It was reported that Aleesha was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu on the night of July 29th after experiencing heart problems and low blood pressure.

She was also said to have been suffering from depression due to the rejection of her application and the harsh criticism she faced from certain sects of Malaysian society. She passed away on July 30th, 2011 at 5.00am.

Video by Shamin Rajoo, Citizen Journalist