KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 207 Malaysians in Australia have returned home via commercial flights, said Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia Datuk Sudha Devi KR Vasudevan.
She said the embassy was always on standby to give advise on matters regarding visa and travel issues as well as the latest information on flight schedules for Malaysians wishing to return home in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
“Malaysians who want to return home can do so via Malaysia Airlines (MAS), which is still operating in Perth, Australia, on April 20 and April 27.
“Based on our records so far, 207 Malaysians who contacted us have flown home via commercial flights,” she said in an interview via Skype from Canberra, Australia, on Buletin Bernama today.
As of yesterday, a total of 11,932 Malaysians had registered with various Malaysian representative offices in Australia. Of the figure, 25 percent or 2,950 were students.
Commenting on the aid provided to Malaysian students currently stranded in Australian hot spots (red zones), she said the embassy was constantly monitoring their situation with the cooperation of Malaysian students’ association there.
“The representative offices here, through the Malaysia Australia Education office and MARA Office in Sydney, are cooperating with the Malaysian Students’ Council of Australia (MASCA) to monitor the situation in Australia.
“These areas (hot spots) are not under lockdown and residents have only been directed to stay home, so they can still go out to get basic necessities,” she said.
She explained that all the latest development on the Covid-19 situation in the country was shared on social media.
Sudha Devi also reminded Malaysians in Australia to register with the nearest Malaysian representative offices.
As of yesterday, Australia reported more than 6,000 positive cases with 63 fatalities. The highest tally were recorded in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. – Bernama