127 M'SIANS EVACUATED FROM LIBYA

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- A special chartered aircraft flew out 127
Malaysians from strife-torn Libya Friday, National Security Council secretary
Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab said.

He said the Boeing 727 aircraft, carrying the Malaysians and 59 people of
other nationalities, left the Tripoli international airport at about 10.30am
(Malaysian time) and landed in the Tunisian capital of Tunis an hour later.

It is believed that five Malaysian students opted to remain in Tripoli, the
capital of Libya which is seeing an uprising against its leader, Muammar
Gaddafi.

Mohamed Thajudeen said the plan was to fly the evacuated Malaysians from
Tunis to Rome in a C-130 aircraft of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and
from Rome to Malaysia by a MAS flight scheduled to leave the Italian capital at
1.30pm (Malaysian time) Friday.

"We are trying to get clearance from the Tunisian authorities for the RMAF
aircraft to land in Tunis," he told Bernama when contacted here.

Mohamed Thajudeen said the chartered aircraft was used to fly out the
Malaysians from Libya after the RMAF aircraft, given permission earlier to land
in Libya, was denied clearance to touch down when it neared Tripoli.

Then, he said, the aircraft chartered from Tunisia was sent.

However, the plane was also denied clearance to land but it was found out
that this was due to air traffic congestion, he said.

"Finally, the plane was allowed to land at about 5am (Malaysian time) and
the waiting Malaysians and others were allowed to board the aircraft at about
7am.

"However, we were informed that the plane only took off at about 10.30am,"
he said.