Malaysians in the Middle East hunker down amid Iran conflict

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PETALING JAYA - With the

war against Iran escalating

past its borders, Malaysians living in neighbouring countries are suffering from fear and anxiety.

Many spoke about the sound of missiles and drones filling the skies on Feb 28.

Culinary student Farish Imran, an intern at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Doha, Qatar, said he was “shaken awake” by the sounds of missiles exploding as they were intercepted in the early morning hours.

As more explosions were heard, the 23-year-old immediately called his father Ahmad Sabri Harun in Malaysia to let him know what was unfolding.

Mr Ahmad said Mr Farish sent him a video of the sky with puffs of smoke, with explosions audible.

“Thankfully, he informed me that he was safe,” he said when contacted.

Due to safety concerns, Mr Ahmad said his son and five other colleagues were instructed to sleep at the hotel that night.

“He is a bit worried but still wants to complete his six-month internship at the hotel which ends in April.

“I advised him to keep an emergency kit bag with his important documents, tools and essentials in case anything happens,” Mr Ahmad said.

A Malaysian university student, who only wanted to be known as Umar, who is in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), said he heard sounds of missiles in the sky and became frightened.

The student from Terengganu said he has been hiding in the safe zone in his university since then.

“While the city itself is not affected by this, we have been advised to be careful about anything untoward happening,” he said when contacted on March 1.

Mr Umar said his classes have been affected after the UAE government ordered classes to be held online until March 4, adding that one of his exams was postponed.

He said with many flights being cancelled, he did not plan to return home for now.

“I am just in my second year so I’d rather complete my studies first. If the situation becomes worse, maybe the embassy will act to fly us back to Malaysia. My parents are worried about me,” he said.

Another Malaysian student in Harjah, who wanted to be known as Hadi, said he heard about 10 missile strikes from where he lived.

“I want to return to Malaysia but the airspace is closed. I am just walking around the city while having my classes conducted online as well,” he said.

Mr Darrell Chui, a 43-year-old pilot based in Abu Dhabi, said the airlines had grounded all crew for now.

“The airspace is closed so pilots and cabin crew are all home. All we can do is just bunker down and wait.

“Things are in order but people are just afraid and staying indoors,” he said when contacted.

Mr Chui heard that several airport staff members were injured following Iranian retaliatory bombings and drone strikes.

“We got mass official warnings on our phones as Iran fired missiles and deployed drones,” he said.

The father of two said thankfully the water and power supply had not been affected, adding that his children have also started online classes.

For Ms Winnie Chong in Dubai, it was a sleepless night as loud explosions occurred when anti-missile interception systems were deployed.

She said the situation was tense as people watched missiles flying and exploding in mid-air.

“We even felt vibrations,” she said when contacted.

Ms Chong said the gravity of the situation became evident when phones across the city began buzzing shortly after midnight.

“At about 12.30am, many received emergency notifications on our phones,” she said.

With commercial airspace currently closed, she said the skies “are not entirely quiet”.

“We heard aircraft flying. We believe it to be military aircraft or drones. While there has been no confirmed direct impact in my immediate area, reports circulating suggested that some explosions were caused by falling debris,” she added.

Ms Chong said the escalation understandably caused anxiety among locals and the expatriate community alike, leading to a surge in online activity as people prepared for the worst.

“Deliveries have become busier as people stock up online. For now, residents have been encouraged to remain indoors and take shelter as a precaution,” she said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK