Malaysia evacuates 123 citizens from violence-hit Bangladesh

Saifuddin said the Internet and communication outage in Bangladesh had hindered Malaysia's ability to reach its citizens.

Malaysia evacuated 123 of its citizens from Bangladesh on Tuesday, amid violent unrest that has killed dozens of people.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution greeted the evacuees, including 80 students, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after they landed on a chartered AirAsia plane. More than 50 Malaysians opted to stay in the country due to work or study, officials said.

Saifuddin said the Internet and communication outage in Bangladesh had hindered Malaysia's ability to reach its citizens. He said the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka helped to facilitate the safe return of 19 students before Tuesday's evacuation flight.

He said that at least 40 Malaysian students decided to remain as they are in their final year of studies. Officials said five Malaysian army officials and 10 pilots also chose to stay in Bangladesh.