KUALA LUMPUR: A special chartered Malaysia Airlines flight is scheduled to fly to Bangladesh tomorrow to bring home 270 Malaysians there.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said as at 12pm today, a total of 367 Malaysians were recorded to be in Bangladesh.
This included 219 students, 55 Hospital Medan Malaysia staff in Cox’s Bazar, 73 people who live and work in Bangladesh including their family members, and 20 government servants with the Malaysian High Commission in Bangladesh and their families.
“From this total, 270 of them have agreed to be brought back to Malaysia.
“However, the government is asking seven civil servants to remain working at the High Commission.
“On behalf of the government, I am very thankful that they are willing to stay there for the sake of their duty to the country,” he told a press conference today.
He said Malaysians returning would depart on a Malaysia Airlines Airbus 332 aircraft.
“The Bangladeshi government has guaranteed that they will give special clearance for this aircraft to land and depart from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka.”
Hishammuddin said the cost to bring back the Malaysians from Bangladesh would be borne by the MIC.
“I am very grateful to MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran who came forward to ease Wisma Putra’s problems in this repatriation.”