Malaysia has taken swift action to ensure the safety of its citizens in Bangladesh, amid escalating tensions in the country. A special flight AK77, under the directive of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, departed from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 on July 23, 2024, to evacuate Malaysians from strife-torn Bangladesh. The AirAsia flight, which operates an Airbus A320 Reg. (9M-RAN) aircraft capable of accommodating 186 passengers, is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 9.20 am (local time). Over 100 Malaysians, including students, have been sheltered at the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka since July 22, 2024.
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Foreign Ministry’s South and Central Asia Division undersecretary Datuk Dr. Shazelina Zainul Abidin, who is leading the mission, stated that the evacuation mission has been planned since July 12, 2024, and is expected to take less than 12 hours. She added that once they got the green light from their High Commissioner in Bangladesh, they secured the aircraft, but there was a slight delay, and they could not commence the previous day as they were asked to wait to ensure their students reached the High Commission in Dhaka.
The evacuation flight is expected to depart for Malaysia from Dhaka at 10 am (local time) and arrive at KLIA Terminal 2 at around 4.20 pm. A total of 15 personnel from Wisma Putra, the Prime Minister’s Department, the National Security Council, and the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) are involved in the mission. Yesterday, the Prime Minister reportedly said that the government has decided to bring back all Malaysians in Bangladesh due to security concerns following escalating tensions in that country.
This evacuation comes as the death toll from the riots in Bangladesh has increased dramatically in the last few days, rising to at least 151 people according to the latest hospital data. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh issued a ruling vastly reducing the percentage of jobs reserved under the quota system, but it is not yet clear whether the decision will be enough to end the demonstrations. So far, only India has evacuated its citizens from Bangladesh, while the US State Department is advising its citizens to remain vigilant, adding that the airport is "operating close to normal" and flight tickets will act as a curfew pass. The communication gap has led to panic and confusion online, with competing claims over the situation of Malaysian students, particularly over what the High Commission of Malaysia was doing to assist them. On Sunday, the foreign ministry acknowledged the public’s concern, saying it was exploring evacuation "if necessary" and stressing that the safety and security of Malaysians abroad was a top priority.