COVID-19: Indonesian Embassy Helps Out 34,000 Indonesians In KL, Selangor

By Mohd Noor Azeery Idris KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 (BERNAMA) -- The Indonesian Embassy here has channeled food baskets containing basic necessities to some 34,000 Indonesians living around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor since March 24 after Malaysia imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18 in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Information, Social and Cultural Affairs counsellor, Agung Cahaya Sumirat said the baskets were delivered to Kampung Pandan and Segambut in KL and two locations in Kajang, Selangor, where concentrations of Indonesians are high. Agung said the aid was channeled based on applications received by the embassy via messaging through Whatsapp groups and its website. “We are collaborating with 13 Indonesian organisations to distribute food aid according to our database on Indonesians registered with the embassy since the MCO was announced by the Malaysian government," he told Bernama Tv at the embassy Wednesday. Agung said the food aid initiative also received the assistance of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry as well as the Royal Malaysia Police towards ensuring smooth delivery. “As for the total number of recipients, we do not have the figure but roughly about 34,000 people have received assistance. However, more have applied and were are trying to arrive at the total number requiring assistance through messaging platforms. "Based on the applications received, the embassy will do mapping on locations and clusters to send out the food baskets, Priority will be given to those most impacted like daily wage earners in the services and cleaning sectors," he said. For Indonesians living outside KL and Selangor, Agung said the republic's consulates-general in Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Tawau were also doing the same with the help of organisations from Indonesia and Malaysia. On COVID 19 swab tests for Indonesians, he said the embassy did not do this but instead had full confidence in the service provided by the Malaysian government. Apart from food aid, he said the embassy also assisted Indonesian citizens who are stranded at airports, in issuing temporary birth certificates and if they were victims of fires. The MCO which is in its third phase now is supposed to end on April 28 but may be extended further if Malaysia's National Security Council deems fit. -- BERNAMA