PUTRAJAYA: Parents of students in strife-hit Bangladesh are relieved that their children will be evacuated tomorrow.
Major General (Rtd) Nubli Hashim today said the government had been seeking solutions to ensure their children's safety.
Nubli said some parents had been unable to sleep because they were worried about their loved ones in Dhaka, which has been hit by violent protests over government jobs.
He praised the swift action of the government in organising the evacuation in cooperation with AirAsia.
"The process has been very fast. We just submitted our request today, and before it even reached Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan's office, we were informed that the plane would arrive in Dhaka at 10am tomorrow."
He said this at Wisma Putra.
"We are very relieved to hear this news. Now we can sleep well after not having slept for three or four days."
He said his son, a student at Mymensingh Medical College, was in good condition and had enough food.
"Alhamdulillah, the information we received is that the children are healthy. Some still have food.
"But alhamdulillah, this morning, staff from the embassy delivered food to the college for the children there. We are relieved."
Ahmad Wafiq Aqil Kamarul, a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery student at Mymensingh Medical College, had returned to Malaysia for personal reasons just days before the situation worsened.
He said he was happy to hear that his friends could return home.
"I spent less than a day in my hometown in Kelantan before returning to Kuala Lumpur.
"I went back to meet parents here because I was worried about my friends' situation.
"So I am relieved and grateful to the government and the ministry for the cooperation from all government parties, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim."
Earlier, Mohamad said the government would evacuate Malaysians in Bangladesh, especially students, tomorrow.
He said arrangements had been made with government agencies, including the National Security Council and AirAsia, for the evacuation.