Malaysian students, parents should register with student department

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MELBOURNE: The Malaysian Student Department (MSD) Australia is appealing to Malaysian students Down Under to register with the department in Sydney.

“We need their names and residential details, as well as details as to where to contact their parents or guardians in an emergency,” said MSD acting director Zahari Long.

“When something unfortunate happens to a Malaysian student, the police come to us and we often have no idea where to contact their parents or guardians in Malaysia, or which university they are attending.

“Sometimes, it can take days before we can get in touch with parents. It can be very frustrating.” Zahari asked parents to get their children to register with MSD or they could do it themselves on its website.

“It’s for their own peace of mind that the welfare of their children is being taken care of,” he said.

Zahari, who is also Vice-Consul in Sydney, said he could not understand why Malaysian students and parents were so reluctant to give residential details to his department.

“It’s just for our record to be used in an emergency,” he said. — Bernama