KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 359 Malaysians have arrived home, with many more set to return in stages, says Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar.
He said the 359 Malaysians who were stranded in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), India, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport via two Malindo Air flights at 4.46pm and 5.50pm today.
“The next flights from India are scheduled to arrive between April 3 and 6 to bring back 1,790 Malaysians who are stranded in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Trichy,” he said.
Kamaruddin said 266 Malaysians were still stranded in Australia.
“A total of 59 Malaysians stranded in Melbourne are expected to arrive home tonight at 8.30pm.”
As for Malaysians stranded in Algeria and Chad, Kamaruddin said Wisma Putra has been informed of the matter.
“The Algerian government has suspended all commercial flights in the country. The Malaysian Embassy there is in the process of arranging a special flight to bring back the stranded Malaysians.
“While in Chad, Nigeria, based on information from Malaysian High Commission in Abuja, N’djamena International Airport is expected to reopen tomorrow.
“Malaysians stranded there are urged to contact the High Commission in Abuja directly at +2347031365197.”
Kamaruddin said Wisma Putra, through its representatives overseas, will continue to ensure that the well-being of Malaysians stranded overseas was taken care of.
“We will try to assist them so that they can come back home safely. Wisma Putra also welcomes any assistance to bring home Malaysians stranded overseas because of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
On another development, Kamaruddin said under Malaysia’s Diplomatic Equipment Stockpile (MDES) initiative that was launched by Wisma Putra on Tuesday, a Japanese company Jounan Shoji Co Ltd, and JAGAM (Tokyo Chapter) has donated face masks to a representative from the Malaysian Embassy in Tokyo.
“On behalf of Wisma Putra, we would like to thank them for the contribution. We hope that it will assist our representatives while performing their tasks in a country that is also affected by Covid-19.”