KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament today that the Foreign Ministry is reaching out to several countries in a bid repatriate Malaysians stranded by US-Israel bombings of Iran.
The strikes on Iran have forced airspace closures and flight disruptions.
Anwar said a large number of Malaysians, exceeding 29,112 registered and unregistered people, work in the region, the highest numbers being in Qatar, the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
“As a government, we are naturally responsible for preserving and ensuring the safety of Malaysians to guarantee their security while they are there,” he said during an urgent communication session in the Dewan Rakyat.
“We, particularly Wisma Putra (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), are monitoring the situation closely.
“The Embassy is assisting some, and we are reaching out to coordinate repatriation if necessary, although flight restrictions currently hamper this. Flights are permitted from Saudi Arabia, but certainty regarding other countries remains,” he added.
Iran’s Red Crescent society said that joint strikes by the US and Israel, which began on Saturday, killed at least 201 people and wounded more than 700.
From the 201 killed, most were children.
The bombardment happened despite reports suggesting ongoing positive talks between Tehran and Washington regarding the latter’s nuclear programme.
