The government is mulling over using the navy's auxiliary ship currently deployed in the Gulf of Aden to assist the evacuation of Malaysian students from troubled Egypt.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the ship would take the students from Egypt to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to enable them to take flights to Malaysia.

"We do have plans to utilise the assets of the armed forces, including the navy ship currently deployed at the Gulf of Aden, to take them out of Egypt," he told reporters after visiting the flood victims at Kampung Ayer Panas in Labis today.

Najib was asked to comment on the concerns raised by the families of Malaysians in Egypt following the widespread unrest in major Egyptian cities, with demonstrators calling for an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

The navy's auxiliary ship currently involved in anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden is KD Bunga Mas.

There are about 10,000 Malaysian students in Egypt.

The prime minister said the government had sent officers to the country to assess the situation and ensure the Malaysians are safe.

On the possibility of using the C-130 transport aircraft, he said, it was not practical because it could only take 40 passengers.

"We are also not sure of the availability of ground-handling crew at the airports there," he said.

Present were his wife Rosmah Mansor as well as Johr Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman and Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Najib said the government understood the concern raised by the families of the Malaysian students but said that the government cannot act in a hasty manner.

- Bernama

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