Heroes Behind the Airlift

THE Malaysian embassy was quiet and partially lit as life slowly returned to normal in Cairo.

Security was light.

But on the fourth floor of the embassy, one room came to life — the operation room for the evacuation of over 11,000 Malaysian students from Egypt.

The room had maps hanging on the wall and a large white board.

The diplomatic staff manning the room were cheerful despite getting little sleep and rest. They had spent most nights sleeping on the sofa in the embassy. A plate of half eaten nasi lemak could be seen on a coffee table.

Asked if there was enough food, they replied in unison: “Enough!”

The Malaysian diplomats and their local staff have been working non-stop to evacuate Malaysian students from Cairo and other cities.

According to a Malaysian official who declined to be named, almost all the Malaysians evacuated by the embassy were students.

“The number of Malaysian expats here is very small. We only have about 200 Malaysian expats and that includes the embassy staff. Around 40 to 50 of them work for Petronas, one works for a foreign company and the rest are married to Egyptians,” said the official.

The families of Malaysian diplomats, however, have chosen to remain in Cairo.

“They don’t want to go home,” said one Malaysian diplomat.

Petronas employees returned home on their own while the Malaysians married to Egyptians remained in the country.

“The security here in Cairo was actually very good before the protests started. You could walk alone on the streets in the middle of the night without fear of being mugged,” said a diplomat.

The Star online

Tuesday, 8 February 2011