Argentinian community shows high commitment in adhering to MCO -- Ambassador

By V.Sankara

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27  -- The Argentinian community in Malaysia has shown high commitment in adhering to the Movement Control Order (MCO) guidelines to protect themselves besides contributing to the general effort being made by the Malaysian society to contain the spread of the COVID-19, said Argentinian Ambassador to Malaysia Manuel Balaguer Salas.

The ambassador said it is important to highlight that, until now, no incident or sanction has been reported that involves an Argentinian living in Malaysia.

“We keep our citizens constantly informed about the developments in the strategy of the Malaysian government to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said in an email reply to Bernama.

Commenting further, Salas said the government of Argentina has set up a comprehensive assistance programme to help those stranded nationals abroad who cannot afford their basic needs while awaiting a return flight to be scheduled.

“In this regard, our Embassy is permanently monitoring each one of the approximately 30 stranded Argentinian tourists who still remain in Malaysia in order to provide assistance when needed,” he added.

The ambassador said the stranded Argentinians include those wishing to return to Argentina as soon as possible and those wishing to continue their tourist itineraries around ASEAN countries.

He said the embassy was able to assist another 30 Argentinian tourists to exit Malaysia just days before the start of the MCO on March 18.

Salas said so far, the government of Argentina has helped organise the return of more than 70,000 nationals back to Argentina, including the dispatch of 12 repatriation flights.

“I must emphasise that the local authorities, such as the Malaysian Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Health and the Immigration Department, have provided praiseworthy assistance to us every time we needed.

“They have greatly contributed with our efforts to ensure the well-being of our nationals in the country until they are able to return to Argentina,” he added.

-- BERNAMA