Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan says Malaysians in Riyadh and Jeddah are safe, based on daily reports from the embassy and consulate amid tensions in Saudi Arabia.
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians living and working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have been reported safe amid continuing tensions in the country, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said.
He said daily reports from the Malaysian Embassy in Riyadh and the Malaysian Consulate in Jeddah confirmed that Malaysians in both cities were safe and well.
“I receive daily reports from our embassy in Riyadh and our consul in Jeddah confirming that Malaysians there are all right.
“The Malaysian workers there are also safe,” he told reporters after attending the handover ceremony for a solar photovoltaic (grid-connected PV) system installation project by the Works Ministry to the Foreign Ministry and three other government premises here today.
Mohamad said the embassy and consulate remained in contact with Malaysians in the respective cities to monitor their safety and well-being.
He also advised Malaysians in Saudi Arabia to stay away from public areas and strategic locations that could potentially be targeted in attacks.
“As far as possible, they should remain at home. We are also using the e-Konsular system to maintain contact with them,” he said.
Mohamad said several Malaysians in Jeddah had also been temporarily stranded following the cancellation of return flights amid operational disruptions affecting Malaysian and international airlines.
He said the security situation in Saudi Arabia remained tense following another reported attack yesterday.
The attack was reported to have targeted an Aramco complex belonging to the Saudi Arabian oil company, which operates large-scale oil refining and production facilities.
In view of the situation, Mohamad advised Malaysians without urgent reasons to travel to Saudi Arabia to postpone their trips until the security situation improved.
In a separate development, he said the ministry could provide consular assistance to Malaysians detained in Japan in connection with drug-related cases, but legal proceedings fell under the jurisdiction of the Japanese authorities.
He said Japan maintained strict confidentiality to protect the privacy of detainees, and consular visits could not be arranged without their consent.
“We cannot simply arrange a visit at the request of family members without the consent of the person detained.
“If the family wants us to conduct a consular visit to check on the detainee’s welfare or provide any necessary assistance, they should ask the detainee or the person concerned to submit a written request to the Japanese authorities,” he said.
It was reported that four Malaysian men and a woman had been detained at Haneda Airport in Tokyo last Saturday for allegedly attempting to smuggle about five kilogrammes of cocaine worth 120 million yen (RM3.1 million), concealed beneath shoe insoles.
The group was believed to have transported the drugs from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang before being discovered during customs checks upon arrival in Japan.