A TOTAL of 4,374 Malaysians are still stranded in 56 countries, with the largest number in India, involving 2,156 people, said Deputy Foreign Minister Kamarudin Jaffar.

He said, however, 3,201 Malaysians stranded overseas have been brought home via government-funded repatriation missions as well as through political and private donations.

Among the other countries with stranded Malaysians are Indonesia (680 people), Thailand (337), Australia (226), New Zealand (153), Saudi Arabia (121), Pakistan (128), the Philippines (54), Sri Lanka (50) and the United Arab Emirates (43).

“The number of those stranded in India is expected to decrease as more are brought home using 11 special flights,” he told a press conference today.

Kamarudin said 179 people who were stranded in Amritsar, India, arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 10.50pm yesterday, while 144 people arrived from Myanmar via a special flight this afternoon.

On a news portal report regarding 18 Malaysians stranded in Bolivia, Kamarudin said the Malaysian embassy in Lima, Peru, had contacted them and provided the appropriate consular assistance.

Meanwhile, on the alleged claim that Wisma Putra is leaving it to third parties to facilitate the return of Malaysians overseas, he said that the support received is only in terms of financing flight costs.

Kamarudin also said that Wisma Putra was actively involved in negotiations with foreign governments through diplomatic channels.

“Definitely, the effort to help Malaysians who are stranded is apolitical. This means that everyone is encouraged to help the Malaysian government. In this trying time, all parties should join forces and work together.”

Meanwhile, Kamarudin advised Malaysians abroad who wished to return to Malaysia to arrange commercial flights as soon as possible before airlines suspend operations or if the government in that country bans all flights. – Bernama, March 31, 2020.