Malaysians in Hubei told to seek help from embassy

BEIJING: The Malaysian Embassy will keep a close watch on the development of the novel coronavirus outbreak and take actions accordingly.

Malaysian Ambassador to China Raja Datuk Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said what was most important for now was for Malaysians in China to register with the embassy or consulates-general.

"Let us know where you are so that we can reach out to you without any delays," he reminded the people.

He said the "Registration of Malaysian Abroad" form is available on Wisma Putra website. (link to wisma putra website https://www.kln.gov.my/.)

On Malaysians who are still in Hubei, the worst-hit province of the outbreak in the republic, Nushirwan assured them that the embassy would always be there for them.

"They can always come to us for help," he said, adding that the group was in good health.

Early Tuesday (Feb 4) morning, 107 Malaysians and their family members landed safely at KL International Airport after departing from Wuhan.

They were among the 141 people on the repatriation list.

The remaining 34 could not get on the special AirAsia flight mainly due to logistical problems and the difficulty getting transport to the Wuhan airport.

Nushirwan considered the mission a success, saying that all those who had made it to the airport returned home safely.

"We waited for everyone to arrive before taking off (a reason for the slight delay of the repatriation)," he added.

The aircraft, scheduled to depart on Monday (Feb 3) night, only took off from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport after midnight.