KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 (NNN-BERNAMA) — At least 1,270 Malaysians are waiting for evacuation from the Indian cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Mumbai and Amritsar, reported Shakir Husain.
India’s unprecedented 21-day shutdown enforced since March 25 following the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in disruption to flight plans for many foreigners.
India’s move to its get its population of 1.3 billion indoors resulting in the closure of hospitality services has also resulted in challenges for the foreigners.
The Malaysian government meanwhile is in close contact with Indian authorities to organise more evacuations of the stranded Malaysians, although this is expected to take a while for the approval of various processes.
Roughly the same number have left on special flights since India’s closure of passenger air traffic on the Malaysia route on March 17.
Meanwhile, some of the Malaysians were reported to be short of cashwhile the lockdown has restricted their access to necessities.
A diplomat here on Sunday told Bernama that the Malaysians will be updated as soon as the clearance for flights is received.
In EGYPT meanwhile, 86 stranded Malaysians are expected to fly from Cairo via a Brunei government-chartered plane to Bandar Seri Begawan tomorrow.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar said they would be brought home aboard Malaysia Airlines (MAS) special flight on the same day and are expected to arrive at the KL International Airport Sunday morning.
“Taking into account the special bilateral relations between Malaysia and Brunei, the government has also agreed to ferry back 142 Brunei citizens who are stranded in Malaysia onboard the same MAS aircraft,” he said via social media on the latest development in the overseas Malaysian repatriation process.
In MALDIVES, 18 Malaysians who are stranded in Maldives, would be brought back via a joint effort with an airline company, Weststar Aviation, Kamarudin said.
Todate, the number of Malaysians stranded overseas stands at 3,616 in 58 countries.
He said the increase was inevitable as more countries carry out border control exercise to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
— NNN-BERNAMA
