More than 100 worried and unhappy parents gathered at the Wisma Putra briefing hall in Putrajaya this afternoon, demanding answers on the status of their children who are studying in Egypt.

parents gathering over students in egypt 020211 suk building Malaysian Islamic Students Network chairperson Ahmad Syukri Abd Razad said the ‘ambush’ was also to urge the government to bring the students back soon as possible.

The parents came from around the country, including the east coast.

What was to have been a small gathering turned into a much larger one, said Ahmad, who had earlier issued a press statement on his intention to contact the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Ahmad said he had received several telephone calls from distraught students in Egypt claiming that they had not received any form of help from the Malaysian embassy.

“They just don’t know what to do. I also received several phone calls claiming that Public Service Department and Mara scholars will be the first to come home,” he said when contacted by phone.

“If this is true, then it’s pure bias. There should not be any discrimination. How can one judge who comes home first or gets on the plane first and who (should come) last?

“We are aware that action is being taken, but we will still demand that all Malaysian students who are in Egypt should be brought back as soon as possible.”

Aircraft for evacuation to leave today

About 11,300 Malaysian students are registered with the Malaysian embassy in Egypt.

Bernama had reported this morning that three C-130 transport aircraft belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force will leave for Egypt today, to ferry home the students.

National Security Council secretary Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab said the aircraft would also take food supplies to Egypt.

A spokesman of the National Student Representative Council (MPMN), Muhamad Faiz Ismail, said the meeting between the parents and Deputy Foreign Minister Richard Riot Anak Jaem, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and Wisma Putra emergency operating-room chief Mohammad Nor had ended after about one-and-a-half hours without a proper solution being found.

According to Faiz, the only plan made by the Foreign Ministry is to relocate all students to Jeddah within the next 10 days, starting from today.

“We just came out of the meeting and practically all the parents are still in a daze (confused).

“This is because they (the ministry) only has short-term plans. When we asked when the students would return home and how, the ministry could not answer,” he said, adding that the ministry claims there are a large number of students in Egypt who did not register themselves with the Malaysian embassy when they first arrived.

NONE During the discussion, Faiz said several parents had mentioned they would attempt to rescue their children by themselves because they could not bear to sit and wait for the government’s action.

“It’s upsetting. A mother suddenly got up and said her neighbour is leaving for Egypt at 5pm today to bring her child home because our government is taking its own sweet time.

“Another parent even lashed out and said that our government was too engrossed with the Tenang by-election and did not do anything to bring back their children.

“Plans were only made in a hodge-podge way after the results (of the Tenang by-election) were announced on the night of Jan 30... it is late.. too late already,” he said.

Not much hope and answers

Faiz also told Malaysiakini that Mohammad Nor had advised the parents to warn their children against taking part in any of the rallies, to stock up on food supplies and to stay indoors, which was seen as ridiculous and angered the parents even more.

“Yes, parents can advice their kids to stay in and stay away from the demo. But what happens when they stay in and people break into their homes and rob them (the students) blind? And to stock food? How stupid is that? When there is a lack of food, how do we stock them?,” he asked.

The meeting came to an end without much hope and answers for the parents.

Faiz also reported that instead, some parents had made recommendations to the Foreign Ministry.

“Why not just send our commandos to collect our kids? Get a centralised point for all the children to meet. Get our army to escort them back home,” cried a mother.

Hundreds of thousands of people have staged demonstrations across major cities of the country, demanding President Hosni Mubarak end his 30-year rule, plunging Egypt into its worst crisis in recent times.

To date, more than 100 people have died and thousands have been injured in the protests. Many arrests have been made as the government cracked down on the protesters.