Malaysia Evacuates Citizens Amid Bangladesh Unrest

Malaysia evacuated 123 citizens from Bangladesh amid violent protests over a controversial government job allocation system. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution welcomed the evacuees, including 80 students, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The unrest has been the most serious challenge to Bangladesh's government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent election win.

Malaysia evacuated 123 of its citizens from Bangladesh on Tuesday amid violent unrest that has resulted in multiple fatalities.

Upon the evacuees' arrival on a chartered AirAsia plane, they were greeted by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Among them were 80 students, while over 50 Malaysians opted to remain in Bangladesh for work or study, officials reported.

The violent protests, triggered by a controversial government job allocation system, have caused the deaths of over 100 people, primarily student protesters clashing with police. The situation calmed somewhat after Bangladesh's top court scaled back the quota system in a ruling issued Sunday.

These protests represent the most significant challenge to Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since her fourth consecutive term win in January, following an election boycott by the main opposition groups. In response, the government has closed universities, shut down the internet, imposed a national curfew, and deployed military forces to maintain order.

According to Saifuddin, communication outages in Bangladesh hampered Malaysia's efforts to contact its citizens. The Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka facilitated the safe return of 19 students before Tuesday's evacuation flight.

Additionally, at least 40 Malaysian students chose to remain as they are in their final year of studies. Five Malaysian army officials and 10 pilots also decided to stay in Bangladesh.

Cassandra David, a Dhaka Medical College student, reported staying in her hostel since the curfew was imposed, explaining that she has been kept well-informed by her family, the Malaysian High Commission, and her college principal despite the internet outage. She recounted being escorted to the High Commission earlier under strict control, witnessing tankers and armed police and army officers on patrol.

(With inputs from agencies.)