Malaysians are advised to postpone travel to Vietnam and Thailand due to unstable weather conditions causing severe flooding in multiple areas of both countries, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He described the situation in Vietnam as particularly alarming, especially in inland and highland areas such as Dak Lak, Lai Dong and Gia Lai, which have been severely impacted by persistent heavy rain and strong flood currents, resulting in numerous casualties.
“I receive hourly updates from our Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and our embassy in Hanoi. Just at 11am today, I received the latest report from our Consul General,” he told Bernama while on the Sabah State Election campaign trail.
Mohamad said he will be contacting his Vietnamese counterpart, Le Hoai Trung, this afternoon to coordinate any necessary assistance and may engage the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) in Jakarta if Vietnam requires immediate support.
He confirmed that, as of the 11am report, no Malaysians in Vietnam have been affected by the floods.
The minister also advised Malaysians to postpone travel to Thailand, particularly to Hatyai, which is experiencing flooding due to continuous rainfall.
“I urge those who have made travel plans to cancel them for now, as the current weather conditions are highly unpredictable,” he said.
He noted that over 13,000 Malaysians have crossed into Thailand via the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Padang Besar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes over the past three days.
“Evacuated Malaysians in Hatyai have been moved to the Senanarong 5th Infantry Camp outside the city towards Songkhla, as well as 12 other temporary shelters set up by local municipalities,” he added.
