KUALA LUMPUR – A special flight, instructed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to bring Malaysians home from Bangladesh amid the country’s ongoing unrest, departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (klia2) at 7.30am this morning.
The AirAsia flight, using an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft capable of accommodating 350 passengers, is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 9.20am local time.
The Foreign Ministry’s South Asia and Central Asia Division Secretary, Datuk Dr Shazelina Zainul Abidin, who is leading the mission, said that over 100 Malaysians, including students, have been placed at the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka since yesterday.
“This mission was actually planned since July 12, and its implementation took less than 12 hours. As soon as we received the ‘green light’ from our High Commission in Bangladesh, we arranged for a plane.
“There was a slight delay as we had to wait to ensure our students reached the High Commission in Dhaka,” she told Bernama.
It was reported that a total of 15 officers from the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Department, the National Security Council, and Bernama will be participating in the mission to repatriate Malaysians from Bangladesh.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the government had decided to bring back Malaysian students in Bangladesh as it prioritises the safety of Malaysians and decided on an evacuation after monitoring the latest developments in the country.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, meanwhile, said that arrangements have been made with several government agencies for this evacuation, including the National Security Council (NSC) and AirAsia management, to bring them home.
There are about 192 Malaysians in Bangladesh, including 124 students.
Students in Bangladesh have been protesting since July 1 against quotas for government jobs that were reinstated by the courts.
The quotas, which reserve 56% of public jobs for specific groups, were previously abolished in 2018.
The protests have led to a nationwide curfew and the deployment of the military in Dhaka and other areas.
There have been clashes between protesters and police, and the government has largely cut off internet, telephone, and SMS services. Over 160 people have died since the violence began last Tuesday. – July 23, 2024