Malaysia Update

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians in Thailand are safe and have no problem leaving the country as the airport is open, said a Malaysian Embassy official in Bangkok.

“We have not received reports of Malaysians being stranded or hurt as a result of the upheaval in these last few days,” the official added.

As for the recently set up hotline, the officer said most of the calls made to the 24-hour line came from Malaysia.

“Many of the callers had plan- ned their vacations or business trips and wanted to know whether they should continue with their journey,” he said.

The officer said the standard advice given was for Malaysians to stay away from Thailand and only travel to the country under very necessary circumstances.

The embassy’s hotline number is +66 2629 6808.

There has been no disruption to AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flights between Malaysia and Thailand.

The two airlines have also made provisions for customers wanting to change their flight dates to Bangkok.

MAS is offering its customers with confirmed flights into or out of Bangkok a flexibility to change the flight dates without incurring extra charges.

For further updates, customers may contact MAS offices in Bangkok and Phuket airports.

AirAsia, meanwhile, said on its website that it did not expect any interruptions or cancellations at the moment.

Passengers have been given the option to defer their flights to Bangkok with the airline offering a credit shell valid for three months for flights from April 13 to 19.

“If guests cancel their flights to and from Bangkok during the dates, the credit shell can be used to book flights to other destinations,” it said.

If customers decide not to travel to Bangkok and wanted to change their destinations, they could do so without penalty from April 13 to 19.