RAZAK AHMAD The Star 22 Sep 15;
PETALING JAYA: Most Malaysians stuck at the epicentre of the haze in Indonesia’s Riau province have been evacuated with no more flights planned for the time being due to the improving weather.
Malaysian Consul-General in Pekanbaru Hardi Hamdin said 225 students as well as the families of the consulate staff were flown back to Malaysia last Friday.
The Indonesian government had declared a state of emergency in the province after its Air Pollutant Index (API) reading hit 1,000 on Sept 14.
The weather had since improved over the weekend with the API down to 197 yesterday.
“At its peak when the API hit 1,000, the sun appeared red in the sky, we could not see anything down the street outside the consulate due to the thick haze.
“But things have improved a lot. So, at this point, we are not planning any more evacuation flights,” said Hardi.
During the evacuation, which was organised by the National Security Council and Wisma Putra, Hardi said the first group of 120 Malaysians departed from Pekanbaru airport at 7pm local time, followed by a second group of 105 three and half hours later.
Besides those evacuated, a number of others had returned to Malaysia on their own.
Most of the Malaysian students in Riau are taking up Islamic studies at the Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kassim.
Over 300 Malaysians, mostly university students, are estimated to be in Riau.
Hardi said the areas worst hit by the haze were Riau’s capital Pekanbaru, the neighbouring province of Jambi and Palembang.
Three Malaysian staff, including Hardi, had remained behind to man the consulate.
He said they mostly stayed indoors and drank at least three litres of water daily.
“We developed cough, sore throats and eyes, headaches and a lingering taste of smoke in our mouths, but we’re getting better.”
Most Malaysians in haze-hit Riau brought home
RAZAK AHMAD The Star 21 Sep 15;
PETALING JAYA: Most of the Malaysians caught in the haze in Indonesia’s Riau province have been evacuated, said National Security Council secretary Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab.
Last Friday, the council evacuated 225 Malaysians by air from Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau on the island of Sumatra.
Thajudeen said no further flights were being planned.
“For Pekanbaru, there’s no further evacuation since we have evacuated almost all our students including family members of staff of the Malaysian Consulate," he said adding the few Malaysian students remaining in Pekanbaru refused to be evacuated.
The Indonesian government declared a pollution emergency in the province after the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading hit 1,000 on Sept. 14.
Thajudeen said that since Saturday, the haze situation in Pekanbaru improved with the National Standard Air Pollutant Index (ISPU) ranging between 170 and 190, below the danger level of 300.
He said the area in Indonesia with the worst air quality reading at present is Palangkaraya in central Kalimantan, which recorded an ISPU reading of 1,482.05 as at 8am Monday.
He said there were some 300 to 400 Malaysians, mostly students, residing in Riau province as well as the Riau islands.
He advised Malaysians in Sumatra to register with the Consulate.
“It would ensure that we can provide the necessary assistance or advice during this period of time.”
