KUALA LUMPUR: The 50th repatriation flight under India’s Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) brought back some 177 stranded Indian nationals from Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi, India, last Wednesday (Aug 19).
The Indian High Commission to Malaysia, in a statement, said the Air India Xpress flight IX 1121 to New Delhi took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, carrying all the Indian nationals who were stranded due to the travel restrictions imposed in view of Covid-19.
The statement said Indian High Commissioner Mridul Kumar was present at the airport to oversee the arrangement and met with Indian passengers traveling by the 50th repatriation flight.
“Under the Vande Bharat Mission, not only Indians were returning to India, but also many Malaysian citizens had been returned to their homeland from India.
“More importantly, more than 800 Indian nationals languishing in various detention centres in Malaysia were also sent back to India by VBM flights,” Mridul told reporters when met at the airport.
The High Commissioner thanked Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, and Senior Minister (Defence) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for their continuous support in the repatriation of Indian nationals.
He also extended sincere appreciation to Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan and MIC President Tan Sri S. A. Vigneswaran for providing timely support in the repatriation of stranded people from both India and Malaysia.
More than 8,500 Indians living in Malaysia have been flown home on VBM repatriation flights in the last three and a half months after the Covid-19 outbreak. — Bernama
