Malaysians travelling to Turkey advised to contact Wisma Putra

Malaysians who wish to go to Turkey are advised to contact Wisma Putra or the Malaysian embassy there to know the latest developments in the country following the terrorist attacks at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the Foreign Ministry had also opened a 24-hour hotline at 03-88874570 for the public to get updates.

He said there was no travel advisory against travelling to Turkey at the moment.

"I also urge the public or Malaysian tourists there to contact Wisma Putra or our embassy in Turkey to inform them about their whereabouts, so that action could be taken in case anything happened," he told reporters here today.

Reezal Merican, who is also Kepala Batas MP, was met by reporters after presenting Ramadan and Aidilfitri contributions to 350 recipients in the Pinang Tunggal state constituency.

Malaysia strongly condemned the terror attack on Tuesday in which at least 41 people were killed, and over 200 injured.

Reezal Merican said they would continue to monitor the situation and inform the public of the latest.

Meanwhile, he also advised Malaysians residing or living abroad to register with Wisma Putra to facilitate assistance in case of any incident or crisis.

He said it was also necessary to help the ministry determine how many Malaysians were living abroad, and where they were situated.

"If it is not possible to come in person, it is also possible to register online on the ministry's website, or by contacting Wisma Putra.

"If anything were to happen in a foreign country, the ministry can immediately contact the family members here, and help can be provided as soon as possible," he said.