SEPANG, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Nobody is happier than the parents and family members when the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia aircraft that bring their loved ones home from the bloody clashes and riots in Egypt arrived here safely today.
A total of 778 Malaysians, of whom 459 were flown by MAS and 319 others by AirAsia, arrived at the Bunga Raya Complex of the KL International Airport (KLIA), here at about 10am.
They are the first group of Malaysians to arrive home in the massive evacuation operation, dubbed "Ops Piramid", which was launched on Wednesday.
Apart from their parents, they were also met on arrival by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Maimun Mohd Sharif, 50, an administrative assistant with the Negeri Sembilan Farmers' Organisation Authority, said she was grateful that her daughter, who is a student in Al-Azhar University, had arrived home safely.
Before her daughter's return, Maimun said she and the rest of the family were so worried about her safety following the political unrest in Egypt.
She and her husband, Ramlan Salleh, 55, who is a senior police officer, also expressed gratitude for the efforts mounted by the government to get the Malaysians out of the turmoil in Egypt.
Meanwhile, Jamaludin Abdul Karim, 54, said despite the happiness on the return of his daughter, Ain Munirah, 19, he was still worried about the condition of his son, Amar, 25, who is still studying in Egypt.
"Part of me is happy, and the other part is not," said the teacher who
arrived at the KLIA from Taiping, Perak, at 4.15am.
However, Jamaludin said he was now taking comfort in the thought that his son was now safe in Damanhur, which is hundreds of kilometres away from Cairo and Alexandria, where the riots were taking place.
Meanwhile, a post-graduate student at the Al-Azhar University, Salman Al-Farisi Selamat, 25, also expressed relief to have returned home safely.
He, however, said he was willing to go back to Egypt if the situation returned to normal.
The father of a nine-month-old baby boy, said the incident where his house was broken into during the riots was the most terrifying experience for him and his wife, who is also pursuing her studies at the same university.
Source : BERNAMA
