ID :
33298
Mon, 12/01/2008 - 18:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/33298
The shortlink copeid
ALMOST ALL STRANDED MALAYSIANS HAVE RETURN HOME By D.Arul Rajoo
BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- Almost all the stranded Malaysians have returned home a week after Thailand's two major airports were closed down by anti-government protesters.
A Malaysian Embassy official said only 80 more people, whose flights were
cancelled in the past few days, were still in the capital and were expected to
go home by Monday or Tuesday.
"We have about 200 people still registered with us but not all are stranded
as their actual flights are for the coming days. They are keeping in touch with
our 24-hour operations room at the embassy to get the latest information," he
said here Monday.
The official said that unlike many other nationalities who were badly
affected by the airport closures, Malaysians were lucky as they could still
travel by train, bus and van to the Thailand-Malaysia border.
Malaysia's national carrier, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) had mounted six rescue
flights since Friday and low-cost-carrier AirAsia, three to fly back hundreds of
their stranded passengers from the temporary gateway at the Utapao Airport near
Pattaya.
MAS has scheduled two more flights, and AirAsia one, to Kuala Lumpur on
Monday as the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports remained shut down.
The embassy had also arranged two buses on Saturday and Sunday to ferry 68
Malaysians home.
Malaysia has also become the closest destination for other nationalities to
flee Thailand after hundreds of flights were cancelled since Nov 24.
Since Friday, the consular section of the embassy had processed about 300
visa applications from citizens of India, China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
many more who were travelling to Malaysia to get connecting flights.
It's estimated that more than 300,000 foreigners are stranded in Thailand
at
the moment, and many are desperately trying to flee the kingdom as fears grow of
clashes between the anti-government yellow-clad supporters occupying the two
airports and the Government House, and red-shirt pro-government supporters who
have moved into the capital.
-- BERNAMA
A Malaysian Embassy official said only 80 more people, whose flights were
cancelled in the past few days, were still in the capital and were expected to
go home by Monday or Tuesday.
"We have about 200 people still registered with us but not all are stranded
as their actual flights are for the coming days. They are keeping in touch with
our 24-hour operations room at the embassy to get the latest information," he
said here Monday.
The official said that unlike many other nationalities who were badly
affected by the airport closures, Malaysians were lucky as they could still
travel by train, bus and van to the Thailand-Malaysia border.
Malaysia's national carrier, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) had mounted six rescue
flights since Friday and low-cost-carrier AirAsia, three to fly back hundreds of
their stranded passengers from the temporary gateway at the Utapao Airport near
Pattaya.
MAS has scheduled two more flights, and AirAsia one, to Kuala Lumpur on
Monday as the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports remained shut down.
The embassy had also arranged two buses on Saturday and Sunday to ferry 68
Malaysians home.
Malaysia has also become the closest destination for other nationalities to
flee Thailand after hundreds of flights were cancelled since Nov 24.
Since Friday, the consular section of the embassy had processed about 300
visa applications from citizens of India, China, Taiwan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
many more who were travelling to Malaysia to get connecting flights.
It's estimated that more than 300,000 foreigners are stranded in Thailand
at
the moment, and many are desperately trying to flee the kingdom as fears grow of
clashes between the anti-government yellow-clad supporters occupying the two
airports and the Government House, and red-shirt pro-government supporters who
have moved into the capital.
-- BERNAMA
