Evacuation plan in motion

1,000 Malaysians stranded in Bali to be taken to Surabaya

PETALING JAYA: More than 1,000 Malaysians in Bali are waiting to be evacuated following the closure of the popular holiday destination’s airport because of ash from the erupting Mount Agung volcano.

Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim said the evacuation, organised by the Indonesian authorities, will be done by ferry from Bali to Java island, and then by land to Surabaya.

The embassy will set up consular services in Surabaya, about 200km west of Bali, to process the Malaysians taken there.

Zahrain said the embassy had sent a team to Bali to assess the situation.

“I’m waiting for more feedback from my team. So far, we have received response from more than 1,000 Malaysians stranded in Bali and we will try to help evacuate them.

“The airport is closed so they are stuck and the only way out of Bali involves going to Surabaya,” Zahrain said when contacted.

On the 151 Malaysian medical students at Bali’s Universitas Udayana, Zahrain said the embassy was in touch with them.

“They are in Denpasar, which is not yet affected,” he said.

Malaysian Students Association in Indonesia Bali branch president Tham Hong Yuan did not feel that Malaysian students there needed to be evacuated at this point.

“Everything is normal here except that the airport is closed. So there are many tourists stuck in Bali trying to get home,” said Tham, a fourth-year student.

He said he could see smoke coming out of the volcano as well as the red glow of lava.

“There has been some volcanic ash which has also blown over to Denpasar.

“There has been a thin layer of ash each morning but it will wash away when it rains,” he added.

Meanwhile, AFP reported that Bali’s international airport reopened yesterday afternoon after being shut down for nearly three days.

The decision offered hope to more than 120,000 tourists stranded on the island.

However, the airport could be shut again if the wind changes direction and the columns of smoke and ash pose a risk to flights.