Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says evacuation operations will continue if required, as the first group of 163 Malaysians returns home safely from the conflict-affected region.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government stands ready to continue evacuating Malaysians from West Asia should the escalating conflict in the region necessitate further action.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that the operation, coordinated by the National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry and Malaysia’s diplomatic missions, had successfully brought home its first group of citizens who arrived at midday today.
“Alhamdulillah, the first group of Malaysians evacuated from West Asia has arrived today at around 12:30 pm,” Anwar said during a special press conference on the latest developments in the region.
He added that while the evacuation operation would continue, authorities were closely monitoring the situation as most Malaysians were now able to return safely via regular commercial flights.
A total of 163 Malaysians previously stranded in several West Asian countries arrived safely in Malaysia at 12.32 pm today aboard a special chartered Malaysia Airlines flight.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the group comprised Umrah pilgrims from Saudi Arabia and other Malaysians from Qatar, Jordan and Syria who were affected by flight disruptions and airspace closures.
The evacuation flight, which departed from Jeddah early this morning, also carried seven non-citizen family members including five Thais, one Indonesian and one Moroccan.
