Bangladesh riots: Students relieved to escape scenes of unrest

Malaysian students expressed relief after escaping escalating unrest in Bangladesh, recounting tense moments as they departed Dhaka.

Syazanna Amira, a 28-year-old medical student, described a harrowing journey to the airport marked by burning buses and urgent warnings from locals.

“Our landlords told us to go back to our country because this riot is not like the previous ones. It’s no longer the police in control but the army, so they will just shoot anyone seen gathering in one place outdoors.

“Along the way, we saw burnt buses. We saw so much destruction on our way to Dhaka airport,” she told reporters after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 in Sepang today.

Syazanna was among more than 120 students who were repatriated from Bangladesh after student picketing due to dissatisfaction towards the country's civil servants hiring policy turned into deadly riots.

Telecommunication services cut

According to CBS News, the death toll is nearing 180 and more than 2,500 protesters were arrested after days of widespread unrest across the country.

Syazanna said the situation turned dire quickly after internet and mobile services were cut off, leaving the students isolated.

“It was extremely difficult without the internet.

“Locals warned us that by 10am there would be no internet connection at all. By 11am, mobile data was gone, and by 10pm, even Wi-Fi was cut off.”

The communication blackout forced the students to rely heavily on the Malaysian embassy for information and guidance.

Syazanna took turns with her housemates receiving calls from the high commissioner’s office.

The crisis extended beyond communication issues as ATMs and online payment systems became inaccessible, leaving many students with no money to pay for essentials like food and electricity.

“Some of our friends’ homes went dark because they couldn’t pay their prepaid electricity bills online.

“Some had been without electricity for three days and had to move in with friends,” she said.

Tearful reunion

The relief of Malaysian students returning from Bangladesh was palpable as they reunited with their families at the airport.

Among them were brothers Muhammad Alif Hazim Abdul Shukor and Muhammad Alif Haziq Abdul Shukor, both medical students. They recounted struggling to find avenues to reach their families in Kuala Lumpur.

Hazim, who was visibly emotional upon arrival, shared the difficulties they faced in contacting loved ones back home.

“There was no internet, no Wi-Fi. Communication was terrible.

“At first, we couldn’t contact anyone at all. It wasn’t until the second day that I managed to call my mother, but even then, the connection was very poor and unclear.”

His brother, Haziq, said they resorted to whatever means of communication they could find.

“When calls didn’t work, we tried sending SMS messages,” the final-year student said.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, their mother Nor Hamimi Harun, said she was grateful her sons arrived home safely and told of how she tried to call her sons every six hours in the past few days to make sure they were safe.

“I’m happy that I can hug my sons again,” she said, expressing her gratitude.

The air at the KLIA Terminal 2 arrival hall was thick with emotion as Malaysian students evacuated from Bangladesh were finally reunited with their anxious families.

Among the crowd was Nor Hamni Mahmood Sabri, a 53-year-old lecturer from Johor Bahru.

“I’m incredibly grateful, Alhamdulillah,” Hamni said, her voice filled with emotion.

“I don’t know what to say. For five or six days, we lost contact. Usually, my child would call two or three times a day, but when we couldn’t reach them... Mashaallah, I was at a loss for words.”

As days passed without contact, Hamni said families relied on a network of friends and acquaintances to find out what they could about the well-being of their relatives in Bangladesh.

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