3:25 PTG
CHANCERY CIRCULAR NO. 1 YEAR 2013
Reference: SR(050)95/2/3
Date: 30 January 2013
To: All Home Based Staff
Embassy of Malaysia Cairo / Malaysian Government Agencies in Egypt
From: Head of Chancery, Embassy of Malaysia Cairo
Assalamualaikum wbt.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
As you are fully aware, the current
political and security situation require
all Malaysians to be more careful.
2. The Embassy has been closely monitoring the situation and in close contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia (Wisma Putra) and National Security Sector (Ministry of Interior) of Egypt.
Current Situation
3. In brief, the following has taken place and / or reported:
3.1. in a live telecast in the evening of 27 January 2013, President Morsi has announced a state of emergency in three cities, namely, Port Said, Suez and Ismailia for 30 days, along with the imposition of a curfew from 9 pm to 6 am (local time), began on Sunday, 27 January, 2013.
2.2. the military and police are cooperating to restore order to Port Said, Suez and Ismailia. The curfew which has been in place nightly is in conjunction with a state of emergency that grants the military additional powers to arrest civilians and contain protest activity.
2.3. Shura Council, currently the sole legislative body in the country, approved law giving military power to arrest and try citizens.
2.4. no curfew has been imposed in any parts of Cairo city as of now.
2.5. no closure of
governmental and private offices as well as financial institutions and banks for
now.
2.6. no major cancellation of flights to / from Cairo International Airport.
Proposed Immediate Actions3. In line with the established Alert Phases in Contingency Plan of the Embassy, the situation in the cities of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia as well as Cairo's Tahrir Square and its surrounding areas have been elevated from GREEN to YELLOW. In the YELLOW phase, there are incidents in the areas, which may interrupt the safety of Malaysian nationals and their interests. Therefore, some forms of restriction on the movement to Malaysians should be recommended.
4. On that basis, the Embassy recommends that a general advisory is issued to alert all Malaysians citizens, especially students, to temporarily avoid the three cities (Port Said, Suez and Ismailia) and Cairo's Tahrir Square and its surrounding areas, Ministry of Interior, Parliament building, Nile Corniche as well as the Presidential Palace.
5. However, at this juncture, the Embassy is of the view that Malaysians who are traveling to Egypt may not be advised to cancel or postpone their trips yet since the foreigners are unlikely to be directly targeted. Malaysian tourists are encouraged to register themselves with the Embassy of Malaysia in Cairo while they are in Egypt.
2. The Embassy has been closely monitoring the situation and in close contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia (Wisma Putra) and National Security Sector (Ministry of Interior) of Egypt.
Current Situation
3. In brief, the following has taken place and / or reported:
3.1. in a live telecast in the evening of 27 January 2013, President Morsi has announced a state of emergency in three cities, namely, Port Said, Suez and Ismailia for 30 days, along with the imposition of a curfew from 9 pm to 6 am (local time), began on Sunday, 27 January, 2013.
2.2. the military and police are cooperating to restore order to Port Said, Suez and Ismailia. The curfew which has been in place nightly is in conjunction with a state of emergency that grants the military additional powers to arrest civilians and contain protest activity.
2.3. Shura Council, currently the sole legislative body in the country, approved law giving military power to arrest and try citizens.
2.4. no curfew has been imposed in any parts of Cairo city as of now.
2.6. no major cancellation of flights to / from Cairo International Airport.
Proposed Immediate Actions3. In line with the established Alert Phases in Contingency Plan of the Embassy, the situation in the cities of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia as well as Cairo's Tahrir Square and its surrounding areas have been elevated from GREEN to YELLOW. In the YELLOW phase, there are incidents in the areas, which may interrupt the safety of Malaysian nationals and their interests. Therefore, some forms of restriction on the movement to Malaysians should be recommended.
4. On that basis, the Embassy recommends that a general advisory is issued to alert all Malaysians citizens, especially students, to temporarily avoid the three cities (Port Said, Suez and Ismailia) and Cairo's Tahrir Square and its surrounding areas, Ministry of Interior, Parliament building, Nile Corniche as well as the Presidential Palace.
5. However, at this juncture, the Embassy is of the view that Malaysians who are traveling to Egypt may not be advised to cancel or postpone their trips yet since the foreigners are unlikely to be directly targeted. Malaysian tourists are encouraged to register themselves with the Embassy of Malaysia in Cairo while they are in Egypt.
6. In
addition, the following points may be considered by Malaysians living in and/or traveling to Egypt: (I) Cairo
6.1 Expect travel delays in central Cairo by planning routes avoiding 6th October Bridge and Tahrir Square to mitigate inconvenience.
6.2 Use trusted drivers with good local knowledge and well-maintained vehicles to avoid being caught up in protest events or vehicle breakdown.
6.3 Select hotel options away from the Nile Corniche and Tahrir Square areas while the disturbances continue.
6.4 Avoid all protests, rallies and strike activity.
(II) Port Said, Suez and Ismailia
6.5 Defer non-essential travel to Port Said, Suez and Ismailia governorates until the situation stabilizes.
6.6 Abide by curfew timings and follow all directives issued by the authorities.
6.7 Before undertaking any travel, liaise with local contacts (e.g. professional travel agencies) to ascertain the status of roads and formulate the route accordingly. Anticipate heightened security and associated travel disruption. Carry passport at all times to ease passage through roadblocks.
6.8 Carry means of communication when traveling.
7. All HBS are kindly requested to be on standby and easily reachable for any further action. An operations room will be opened for 24/7 at the Chancery should the situation worsen.
8. Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated.
Thank you.
Salam mesra,
"BERKHIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA"
Shaiful Anuar Mohammad
Head of Chancery
Embassy of Malaysia, Cairo
c.c. (i) H.E. Dato' Dr Ambassador
(ii) Africa Division, Wisma Putra
addition, the following points may be considered by Malaysians living in and/or traveling to Egypt: (I) Cairo
6.1 Expect travel delays in central Cairo by planning routes avoiding 6th October Bridge and Tahrir Square to mitigate inconvenience.
6.2 Use trusted drivers with good local knowledge and well-maintained vehicles to avoid being caught up in protest events or vehicle breakdown.
6.3 Select hotel options away from the Nile Corniche and Tahrir Square areas while the disturbances continue.
6.4 Avoid all protests, rallies and strike activity.
(II) Port Said, Suez and Ismailia
6.5 Defer non-essential travel to Port Said, Suez and Ismailia governorates until the situation stabilizes.
6.6 Abide by curfew timings and follow all directives issued by the authorities.
6.7 Before undertaking any travel, liaise with local contacts (e.g. professional travel agencies) to ascertain the status of roads and formulate the route accordingly. Anticipate heightened security and associated travel disruption. Carry passport at all times to ease passage through roadblocks.
6.8 Carry means of communication when traveling.
7. All HBS are kindly requested to be on standby and easily reachable for any further action. An operations room will be opened for 24/7 at the Chancery should the situation worsen.
8. Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated.
Thank you.
Salam mesra,
"BERKHIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA"
Shaiful Anuar Mohammad
Head of Chancery
Embassy of Malaysia, Cairo
c.c. (i) H.E. Dato' Dr Ambassador
(ii) Africa Division, Wisma Putra
