SEPANG – The 123 Malaysians who were evacuated from Bangladesh earlier this morning have landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) at 4.58pm.
The passengers, ferried home on an AirAsia chartered flight, were greeted by their families, who had waited at the airport since this afternoon.
Bainun Yusoff, speaking to Scoop while awaiting his son’s arrival, said she was extremely relieved to know that her son was among the passengers onboard.
“I have been worried sick since my son called last Thursday and informed me of the situation there.
“He told me that some of his friends were beaten just for being outside their hostel while trying to get some food. My worries grew when I could not contact my son via WhatsApp, and he could only call me using a landline.
“So, imagine my relief when he called me at 5am today to tell me that he is already at the high commissioner building and will be boarding the flight today,” she told Scoop.
Bainun’s son is a second-year medical student from Mymensingh Medical College.
Also greeting Malaysians arriving home today were Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
Saifuddin said out of the 123 Malaysians who returned today, 80 were students and the remaining 43 were Malaysians who were residing in Bangladesh.
“There are also students and fellow Malaysians who chose to stay in Bangladesh because they wanted to focus on their studies or be with their families there.
“So the high commissioner in Dhaka has been instructed to always communicate with them at all times and ensure their safety, as well as make sure they have enough food.
“Prior to this batch, there were 19 Malaysian students who returned home on their own accord,” he told reporters.
He added that the Higher Education Ministry has also instructed those from the psychologist’s division to communicate with the students who returned, as they were still traumatised over the recent situation.
“Regardless, we are glad and happy that our Malaysians are safe, and those who have been evacuated today have arrived safely.”
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan said that Wisma Putra had arranged for Malaysians in Bangladesh to be evacuated today.
Students in Bangladesh have been demonstrating since July 1 against recent court-reinstated quotas for government jobs. The quota was abolished in 2018.
Protesters are demanding changes to the system, which reserves 56% of public jobs for certain groups.
Following the protest, Bangladesh has imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed the military in Dhaka and other districts, following clashes between demonstrators and police.
The government was also reported to have largely cut off internet, telephone, and SMS services.
More than 160 people have died since violence broke out on Tuesday. – July 23, 2024