KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysians stranded in Southern Thailand due to the floods had to be transported using container trucks until the Bukit Kayu Hitam border in Kedah, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan today.
This, according to him, is because the flooded areas were rendered inaccessible to cars, buses, and even lorries.
"There was a group of lecturers and students from UUM (Universiti Utara Malaysia) who were stranded at Wangburapa Hotel. This is located in the Old Hat Yai area, which was badly hit as it's situated near a river, and the floodwater currents were very strong.
"There were no vehicles that could go in, including boats," Mohamad said during the Minister's Question Time in Dewan Rakyat today.
He was answering a question by Wong Shu Qi (PH-Kluang) who wanted to know the measures taken by the government to assist Malaysians stranded in Southern Thailand due to the floods, as well as the preventive steps taken to ensure no locals are trapped in such situations since the region is heading into the Monsoon season.
According to Mohamad, a lot of container trucks were used to rescue and transport evacuees as the road from Sadao to Bukit Kayu Hitam was badly hit by the floods.
"I'm sorry to say that the evacuees were transported in containers, just in case someone complains about it.
"The victims were huddled together in containers, almost like human trafficking victims, until the Bukit Kayu Hitam border," he quipped.
Mohamad explained that the evacuation was made possible after the flood levels receded yesterday evening.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry, in a statement toda,y explained that more than 700 Malaysians have been moved to the Bukit Kayu Hitam area as of yesterday, after weather conditions improved.
The rescue operations were jointly carried out by the Embassy of Malaysia in Bangkok and the Consulate General of Malaysia in Songkhla, supported by the Royal Thai Army, Volunteer Fire Brigades (PBS), Sikh United and various volunteer groups.
It is estimated that currently fewer than 1,000 Malaysians remain in Hat Yai, and said evacuation operations would continue until all the Malaysians affected have been safely assisted. – 27 November, 2025
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