Malaysians are being advised to postpone travel to Thailand and Vietnam due to unstable weather, causing severe the flooding affecting several areas of both countries, said Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan today.
Mohamad advised Malaysians to postpone travel to Thailand, particularly Hat Yai, which is flooded again following continuous rain.
"I urge those who plan to travel, or who have already made arrangements to enter Thailand, to cancel their plans, because we cannot predict the current unstable weather," he said.
He added that more than 13,000 Malaysians have exited through the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Padang Besar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes in the past three days.
"The evacuated Malaysians are being taken to the Senanarong 5th Infantry Camp outside Hat Yai, towards Songkhla or to any of 12 other temporary shelters established by Hat Yai municipalities," he added.
He also said the situation in Vietnam is at a worrying level, particularly inland and in the highland areas severely affected by heavy rain, floods and strong currents, resulting in numerous casualties.
"I receive hourly reports from our Consulate in Ho Chi Minh and our embassy in Hanoi with updates on the situation. At 11am, I received a report from our Consul General based in Ho Chi Minh City. The flooding is indeed severe, especially inland and in central areas, as well as in the highlands, such as Dak Lak, Lai Dong and Gia Lai," he told the Bernama news agency, while campaigning in the 17th Sabah State election today.
Mohamad said he will contact his counterpart, Le Hoai Trung, this afternoon to coordinate any needs and will liaise with the ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) in Jakarta, if Vietnam requires immediate support.
