KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian citizens, including students, in Egypt, which is besieged by street protests, are safe, said Wisma Putra in a statement yesterday.
It said parents should not be unduly worried as the Malaysian Embassy and the Malaysian Students Department in Cairo were keeping tabs on the situation.
Malaysian citizens have been told to avoid high-risk places and be vigilant at all times, said the statement.
It said the Foreign Ministry had set up an operation room (Tel: 03-88892746, 03-88874570 Putrajaya) for family members to make enquiries.
They could also call up minister counsellor Saharudin Hassan, second secretary Samsul Kahar Kamarudin or third secretary Iskandar Harman at the Malaysian Embassy in Cairo 00-202-37610013 extension 116 or 00-202-37610164, it added.
Meanwhile, Mara director-general Ibrahim Ahmad said the safety of Malaysian students in Egypt was under control and Mara headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and its office in Cairo were monitoring the situation.
He said Mara was working closely with the National Security Council and Wisma Putra on safety measures to be adopted by Mara students in Egypt.
Ibrahim urged Mara students to abide by the advice given by the embassy and avoid going to high-risk places.
Mara is sponsoring about 1,000 medical and dentistry students at several university in Egypt.
Family members can contact the Mara Education Sponsorship Division (Kuala Lumpur) at 019-2720649 or 019-3883121 for information. — Bernama