July 10, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 9,1424

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SINGAPORE, July 9: Members of the Iranian community streamed into a Singapore mosque on Wednesday where messages from around the world were read paying tribute to the Iranian conjoined twins who died during a separation surgery.

Verses from the Koran were recited for 29-year-old Ladan and Laleh Bijani, who will be buried in separate coffins.

Although many expressed grief over their deaths, most said they supported the surgery to separate the twins.

Friends earlier collected their coffins, to be flown back to Iran on Thursday, where thousands are expected to greet them.

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has expressed his sorrow over the deaths of the women, saying: “Your team ... (has) shown courage and compassion in operating on the twins ... “

“I know that ... the operation (was carried out) only after the most thorough examination of all the issues, especially the medical and ethical aspects,” Goh said, adding that the team “should not be demoralized by the setback.”

Prayers were earlier held for the women at the home of an Iranian expatriate. Dr. Keith Goh, the neurosurgeon who lead the team of 28 specialists, acknowledged the debate over whether the surgery should have been done would surface.

“... I think that together with me, many world renowned experts decided to contribute their time and skills to try to give these girls a decent, normal life as we know it.”—dpa