2 March 2022
Ismail Sabri Yaakob welcomed back the last group of Malaysians who were safely brought out of Ukraine and said the evacuation mission was successful.
The prime minister, who ordered the evacuation plan to be activated, said all 24 Malaysians who had registered with the Malaysian embassy in Ukraine were successfully brought out on Feb 24.
According to him, the last group involved nine Malaysians and two dependents, who were transported out of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb 26 by land to Poland.
Today, seven Malaysians, including interim chargé d’affaires Fadhilah Daud, arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 3.06pm.
“We are grateful for the mission’s success as what is happening in Ukraine is worrying but the government did its best to ensure its people in Ukraine are safe,” Ismail said at a press conference after meeting the seven Malaysians at KLIA.
He said the seven Malaysians who returned home today comprised embassy officers as well as family members and students.
According to him, four Malaysians did not return to Malaysia and instead chose to be in other countries, with two going to Poland and two to Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Donbas, east Ukraine, last week, following which Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared an emergency in the country.
Ukraine also announced the closure of air space for civilian use due to the high risk to civilian flights.
Ismail said the Malaysian embassy in Kyiv had been closed since Feb 24 following the developments in Ukraine.
He said Malaysians who were still in Ukraine but did not register with the embassy earlier could contact the embassy in Warsaw, Poland, if they needed assistance.
Asked about a report that the Malaysian government had been ordered to pay about US$15 billion (RM63 billion) to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, Ismail said Wisma Putra and the Attorney-General’s Chambers would be making a statement on the matter soon.
Media reports quoting Spanish news website La Información reported that Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa had ordered the Malaysian government to make the payment.
Source: www.freemalaysiatoday.com
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