PUTRAJAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) — About 6,000 stranded Malaysians have been successfully rescued and evacuated from flood-hit areas in southern Thailand since operations began several days ago, said Foreign Ministry Communications and Public Diplomacy Division secretary Zamshari Shaharan.
He said the figure includes Malaysians who were assisted out of hotels, lodgings and residential areas in Hat Yai and surrounding districts that were inundated following a sudden surge in water levels.
“As of 1 pm today, 953 Malaysians were evacuated from high-risk areas or moved to safer locations designated as collection points before being transported home.
“This means 953 Malaysians were evacuated today alone, and the operation is still ongoing. Weather conditions there have improved significantly, and floodwaters have receded – not completely, but some areas are still waist-deep while others are knee-deep,” he said during a briefing on the status of Malaysians affected by the floods in southern Thailand here today.
Regarding the number of Malaysians still in the affected areas, Zamshari said current estimates indicate that around 1,500 individuals still require evacuation. However, he noted that the figure is continuously changing as new information is received from time to time.
“This figure is based on the information currently available to us. Every day, we receive new updates about Malaysians we were previously unaware were in the affected areas.
“So the 80 to 90 per cent we hope to evacuate today is calculated from this latest estimate,” he said.
He added that some Malaysians had returned home on their own through border entry points without informing the authorities, resulting in discrepancies between on-ground operations and official records.
The rescue efforts for Malaysians, he said, were concentrated in Hat Yai city, the hardest-hit area, covering three main zones – including the city centre and the vicinity of the Hat Yai Railway Station, which lies close to the river and is densely lined with hotels and homestays.
Zamshari said that during the first two to three days, rescue teams struggled to enter the area due to high water levels and strong currents. However, conditions have since improved, allowing better access, although it remains unsafe for individuals to venture out on their own or attempt to wade through the floodwaters.
“For security reasons, we advise them to stay where they are and wait for rescue teams to arrive. In the area near the railway station, almost half of those stranded have already been evacuated, and operations are still ongoing,” he said, adding that Immigration Department records show 27,199 Malaysians returned home through eight border entry points between Nov 22 and 25.
Zamshari said Malaysian teams on the ground begin their operations as early as 7.30 am and continue until nightfall, subject to weather conditions and instructions from the local authorities.
He acknowledged that the Thai authorities had set certain time limits for security reasons, but said the Malaysian team, with the assistance of volunteers, continued to do its best to ensure as many people as possible could be evacuated each day.
“Two days ago, operations continued until about 11 pm, and yesterday until around 9 pm. Today, with improved weather conditions, we hope to maximise the number of people who can be rescued,” he said.
Zamshari said the Malaysian government greatly appreciated the cooperation extended by the Thai authorities in allowing Malaysian teams and volunteers to enter the affected areas, despite the disaster occurring within the territory of a neighbouring country.
He said that before Malaysian volunteers were deployed, Thai authorities had already undertaken extensive rescue and evacuation operations, and Malaysia’s presence on the ground served to complement and reinforce those efforts, particularly in assisting Malaysians affected by the floods.
He also conveyed his gratitude to the various non-governmental organisations and volunteers—including volunteer fire brigades from across the country, the Red Crescent, and several other groups—for providing boats, equipment and manpower to support the mission.
–BERNAMA