KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia on Tuesday evacuated 123 citizens from Bangladesh amid violent unrest that has left dozens dead.
Minister of Internal Affairs Saifuddin Nasution greeted the evacuees, including 80 students, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport after they landed on a chartered AirAsia plane. More than 50 Malaysians chose to remain in the country for work or study, officials said.
A controversial system for allocating government jobs has led to violent protests in Bangladesh, where more than 100 people were killed in clashes between police and mainly student protests, according to local media.
There was apparent calm after the supreme court of Bangladesh the quota reduced in a statement made on Sunday.
The protests pose the biggest challenge to the Bangladeshi government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in the January elections, which the main opposition groups are boycotting. Universities have been closed, the internet has been cut off, and the government has imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed military troops to maintain order.
Saifuddin said the internet and communications blackout in Bangladesh had hampered Malaysia’s ability to reach its citizens. He said the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka helped facilitate the safe return of 19 students before Tuesday’s evacuation flight.
He said at least 40 Malaysian students decided to stay as they are in their final year of study. Officials said five Malaysian army officers and 10 pilots also chose to stay in Bangladesh.
Cassandra David, a student at Dhaka Medical College, said she has stayed in her hostel since the curfew was imposed and has not witnessed any violence. Despite the internet being down, she said she was well informed about the situation by her family, the Malaysian High Commission and her school principal.
She said she was taken to the High Commission earlier on Tuesday under tight security and saw fuel trucks and armed police and army officers patrolling the streets.
