About 4,000 Malaysians are reported to be stranded in Hatyai and several parts of Songkhla province in Thailand because of floods, with heavy rain expected to continue today.
Zahid said the foreign ministry and the Thai government are coordinating efforts to assist the stranded Malaysians.
“They want to return home quickly, and we may provide heavy vehicles to transport them so they can return to their respective areas,” Bernama quoted him as saying after officiating a health roadshow in Bagan Datuk, Perak, today.
He also said Malaysian authorities will work with Songkhla governor Ratthasart Chidchoo to channel assistance to Malaysians there.
Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered urgent relief operations in the country’s flood-hit southern provinces, directing officials to prioritise assistance for bedridden residents and those with limited mobility as flooding continues to affect tens of thousands.
Anutin travelled to Hatyai yesterday, where he visited multiple inundated areas to assess the damage firsthand, spoke with affected families, and urged faster delivery of aid.
Besides Hatyai in Songkhla province, the flooding has affected Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun and Pattani, Bernama reported.
Students, lecturers from UUM stranded
A total of 36 students and four lecturers from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) are stranded in Hatyai after the area was hit by flash floods, causing disruptions to food, electricity, and clean water supplies.
The group were participating in a cultural exchange programme and was scheduled to return home yesterday, Sinar Harian reported.
However, the heavy rain and flooding forced them to remain in their hotel.
One student said that electricity had been cut off since early yesterday morning, followed by a disruption in the water supply in the evening, leaving them dependent only on limited dry food supplies.
“We really hope that assistance, especially food supplies, can be provided. So far, we have not received help from anyone,” she was quoted as saying.
UUM deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs and alumni) Ahmad Martadha Mohamed said the university is monitoring the situation continuously and maintaining close contact with the Malaysian consulate in Hatyai to ensure that all necessary assistance is delivered promptly.