PETALING JAYA: Malaysians have been advised to consider postponing non-essential travel to France following widespread clashes between protesters and riot police in street demonstrations there.
“While travel to France remains unrestricted, Malaysians are advised to consider postponing non-essential travel until the situation improves,” the Foreign Ministry said, adding that it was monitoring the situation.
The ministry also urged Malaysians residing in or planning to travel to France to register or update their details on its e-konsular platform at https://ekonsular.kln.gov.my.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said that no Malaysians had been reported to be involved in or adversely affected by the demonstrations so far.
The Malaysian Embassy in Paris had advised Malaysians in France to exercise caution and remain vigilant, it said.
It also said that the embassy remained in contact with local authorities and was ready to provide consular assistance when necessary.
Bernama reported that Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had advised Malaysians travelling to France and Italy to stay away from demonstrations and areas where rioters were gathering.
There were currently no travel restrictions to these two countries but Malaysians should remain cautious and follow local authorities’ safety advice, he added.
Since last month, France has been rocked with protests following anger over poor conditions in schools and teacher shortages. The demonstrations then grew to include unhappiness with the cost of living and inequality.
In Italy, riots emerged after rallies were held to protest against rising living costs.
Mohamad, who attended an event in Melaka yesterday, also told reporters that the Nepal government was seeking to expedite the issuance of death certificates for the 54 Malaysians who remain unaccounted for following devastating floods and landslides in August.
He said Nepal also planned to amend its laws to speed up the issuance of the certificates.
Under the country’s existing laws, a waiting period of up to three years was required before death certificates could be issued for people who remain unaccounted for after a disaster, he said.
“The Nepalese government is pursuing the legal amendments and will table them in Parliament.
“If that is not possible, it will make special arrangements to ensure death certificates can be issued without delay for the 54 Malaysians who remain unaccounted for,” he said.
He said the certificates were needed to help the victims’ families settle matters with the banks and insurance companies.
Mohamad said representatives of the Nepalese Embassy had informed him of the matter during a visit to his office last week.
On a separate matter, Mohamad said Malaysia was awaiting decisions from the National Disaster Management Agency and the National Security Council on providing assistance to tackle forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The proposal would be brought to the Cabinet for approval, he added.
“Visibility is below 50m, and the Air Pollutant Index in Kalimantan has reached 1,000,” he said, adding that Malaysia would assess the risks before deciding whether to provide air support and would not deploy pilots if conditions endangered their safety.
