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Wisma Putra has no comment on Malaysians escaping Kyiv by road

Elill EaswaranNoel Achariam3 years ago26th Feb 2022News
20220226 wisma putra its fb page
Eight Malaysian diplomats and two foreign national dependents are in the process of escaping Ukraine by road, after their initial plan to charter a bus fell through. – Wisma Putra Facebook pic, February 26, 2022.
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WISMA Putra has declined to comment on reports that Malaysian diplomats are forced to flee from Kyiv to Poland by road, as attacks intensified in Ukraine.

“Thank you for your inquiry. No comment at the moment. Thank you,” said a Foreign Ministry official when contacted.

It was earlier reported that eight Malaysian diplomats and two foreign national dependents are in the process of escaping the turbulent country by road, after their initial plan to charter a bus fell through.

Their plan was thwarted by heavy traffic, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

They then decided to make a trip in a convoy of four cars to Lviv, about 70km from the Ukraine-Poland border. The journey will cover 782km and take about 10 hours.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said Malaysia is concerned about the conflict and urged all parties to negotiate a peaceful solution.

“Malaysia is seriously concerned about the escalation in Ukraine and strongly urges all concerned parties to immediately take steps to de-escalate and prevent destruction and the loss of lives.

“At this critical juncture, efforts should be redoubled to seek an amicable and peaceful solution to the conflict through dialogue and negotiations based on international law and the charter of the United Nations.”

Malaysia will continue to support such efforts in the interest of maintaining regional and international peace and security, he added.

SCMP reported that Malaysian Embassy in Kyiv Chargé d’Affaires Fadhilah Daud made a call to proceed with an alternative plan after multiple official sources said the Foreign Ministry bungled their evacuation.

The sources blamed senior government officials, including the prime minister and foreign minister, for their dismissive stance towards Western intelligence on the imminent Russian invasion in January.

“These officials described the intelligence as a ‘Western narrative’, leading the evacuation mission to become a clusterf***,” said a source, as quoted by SCMP.

“This situation is partly the consequence of having a minister who is so desperate to not fall for Western narrative, he starts believing the nonsense peddled by the other side,” said another source.

A total of 13 Malaysians have already left Ukraine in recent weeks. – February 26, 2022.

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