Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the government is concerned with the welfare of victims and will ensure all of them received the best treatment, apart from assisting to bear the cost of treatment.
“Wisma Putra is making the arrangements as some injured victims have their family members, like children and parents, in Malaysia.
“We will try to manage their travel there and pray the three injured Malaysians will recover,” he told reporters after opening the Sekolah Kebangsaan Indera Mahkota Utama parent teacher association’s annual general meeting here today.
Saifuddin also confirmed that so far three Malaysians were injured in the incident while another is still missing.
The injured Malaysians are Mohd Tarmizi Shuib, 46, from Kedah; Rahimi Ahmad, 39 from Penang and Mohd Nazril Hisham Omar, 46, from Kelantan.
Mohd Haziq Mohd Shuib, 17, Tarmizi’s son, is missing.
“I understand the three of them are in stable condition and will be undergoing surgery to remove bullets in their bodies.
“Another son of Shuib, Mohd Haris, is being treated at a children’s hospital here for trauma following the terrorist attack.
“Regarding Haziq, who is still missing, some witnesses saw him running with his father but the father was shot… We do not know where he is. We hope he is hiding somewhere,” he said.
Following the incident, he said the government ordered two employees from the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington, apart from a senior officer from Wisma Putra, to assist.
There are about 1,000 Malaysians in Christchurch, with 208 students studying at several universities there.
All of them are reported to be safe.
Saifuddin, who is also Indera Mahkota MP, said the government was informed by the Malaysian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Nur Izzah Wong Mee Choo, that the situation in Christchurch has stabilised.
However, he said the authorities in the country had advised residents to stay indoors for the time being for their own safety.
At the same time, Saifuddin would be contacting New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, who is also the foreign minister, to express the sympathies of the Malaysian government to the country and its citizens killed in the incident, described as a horrible act of terrorism.
On whether the government will issue a travel warning to the country, Saifuddin said the government has not decided to do so.
“We do not see the need to do so but we will be sending a military attache there on the matter,” he said.
So far, the authorities in New Zealand have confirmed 49 killed in the terrorist incident at two mosques in Christchurch when Muslims were going for Friday prayers. Another 20 were reported injured.