SEREMBAN, March 7 — The government has, in principle, approved a plan to relocate or evacuate Malaysians from high-risk areas in the Middle East and can activate it at any time if the situation requires.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan said the approval was to enable the government to act promptly without having to wait for a new Cabinet decision if the security situation in Middle East countries worsens.
“The evacuation plan has been approved by the Cabinet; it’s just a matter of when we will trigger it. The National Security Council (MKN), together with the Foreign Ministry and other agencies, is monitoring the situation, and our embassy offices are always open.
“If there really is a need, we will carry out the evacuation plan, but as of today, there has been no need for us to activate it,” he said after officiating the launch of the Khatam al-Quran ceremony of the Negeri Sembilan Women’s Organisation and the Welfare Association of Wives of Negeri Sembilan Elected Representatives and Senior Officials here today.
He also advised Malaysians in those countries to avoid sensitive areas, including military bases, as these locations are believed to be potential targets of retaliatory attacks and could pose risks to their safety.
He urged Malaysians stranded overseas due to flight disruptions in the Middle East to update the Malaysian embassy on their travel status once they have obtained confirmation of their return flights.
Mohamad said this is crucial for the government to determine the actual number of Malaysians who have already returned and those who are still stranded, so that efforts to coordinate assistance can be carried out more effectively.
“My advice is that those who have received confirmation from any airline company, contact the embassy again and inform them that they have secured a seat to return home, so that we will not be left in the dark… don’t just keep quiet,” he said.
Meanwhile, he again advised Malaysians planning to perform their umrah to defer their plans for now, as the security situation in the region remains unstable.
He said the government, through the MKN, is monitoring the latest developments in the region to assess safety levels before making any decisions.
“We will issue daily updates on the developments there, because we don’t know what to expect as anything can happen…,” he said.
Mohamad also said that the reopening of several airspaces in the Middle East has allowed flight operations to resume in stages, thus aiding efforts to bring home the stranded passengers.
He said that, as of yesterday, a total of 2,367 Malaysians were reported to be still stranded in several places, including Jeddah, Qatar, Madinah and Abu Dhabi. — Bernama
