Malaysians In Yemen Urged To Cooperate In Evacuation

PORT DICKSON (Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia), April 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysians in Yemen have been urged to give their full cooperation to the government in efforts to bring them home safely. Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein also said they should not disregard the seriousness of the situation in Yemen. "The situation is very worrying," he said after opening a Public and Military Interaction Workshop at the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre here Monday. He said Prime Minister Najib Razak had also given an assurance that the government would do whatever was necessary to keep Malaysia's citizens and students safe. Efforts are being made through the National Security Council to evacuate and bring the Malaysians home while the government is also closely monitoring the situation in Yemen. "I also urge students who are registered and those who are not, to support our endeavour to bring them home. "There may be those who went to Yemen on their own, who probably think they are safe because the area where they are located has not been affected by the conflict, and so are reluctant to return home. "But from the information we received and what we heard, we cannot take the matter lightly; other countries have already evacuated their citizens from Yemen," he said. The 156 Malaysians who have been evacuated following the unrest are expected to be sent home beginning Monday. Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said the humanitarian and disaster assistance workshop had received the support of defence ministers in ASEAN. "It is a bridge that unifies us in disaster management through proactive action. "It is also an initiative to strengthen our relations with other ASEAN countries and neighbouring countries such as Australia, China and the U.S.," he said. (picture) Hishammuddin (front, left) having a light moment with participants of Public and Military Interaction Workshop at the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre here Monday. A total of 32 participants from 17 countries including Australia, China, the United States, South Korea and the ten ASEAN countries attended the workshop. -- BERNAMA