CAIRO: Malaysian students are being evacuated from strife-torn Egypt to Jeddah by the federal government at no cost, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.
SAFELY HOME: Aitf Samsudin (right) and other students reciting the ‘doa selamat’ on arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Egypt. — Bernama photo
Dismissing claims that the students would be charged for the evacuation, he said the government also provided accommodation, bus transportation, food and drinks for them.
He said the government also arranged the process of issuing passports and visas for the students free-of-charge and paid their airport tax.
“We need cooperation from all parties but ironically, certain quarters are casting aspersion on our rescue effort,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Jamil Khir said the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Bunga Mas 5 auxiliary ship, which had called at the Cairo Port, had yet to be mobilised as the aircraft were sufficient to fly out Malaysia students from Cairo.
“Anyway, travel by sea will take a longer time. From our meeting with the National Security Council, Wisma Putra and the Putra 1Malaysia Club yesterday, we feel that we will able to complete the rescue mission by deploying additional MAS, AirAsia and the Royal Malaysian Air Force planes,” he said.
About 3,000 Malaysian students were expected to be flown from Cairo to Jeddah yesterday, he added. — Bernama