No Malaysian Students Involved In Demonstrations In Indonesia

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- No Malaysian student is involved in the demonstrations or protests that have occurred across Indonesia so far, said Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

He said the ministry, through the Education Malaysia (EM) office in Indonesia, conducts constant monitoring in collaboration with Wisma Putera to ensure the safety of Malaysian students.

"We have over 1,200 Malaysian students studying in Indonesia and, so far, alhamdulillah, we have not received any reports of Malaysian students being involved in such incidents.

"However, we continue to monitor developments from time to time because they are not just confined to Jakarta, but also involve other areas in Indonesia,” he said.

He told the media this after attending the launch of the Institute of International and ASEAN Studies (IINTAS) under the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) IIUM here today.

Zambry said Education Malaysia is also in constant contact with the students to provide them with the latest information and to advise them to stay away from the affected areas.

Meanwhile, he also expressed confidence that the Indonesian leaders will take all necessary steps to ensure the situation is under control.

"We pray that Indonesia will return to peace and calm because stability there also benefits its neighbouring countries, like Malaysia,” he said.

Thousands of Indonesians have held demonstrations in the capital and several major cities since last week, with people from various walks of life taking to the streets with political and economic demands.

-- BERNAMA