Third batch of 170 students leave Labuan

LABUAN: The third batch of 170 students from Sabah currently stranded in their campus of Labuan Matriculation College (KML) following the Movement Control Order (MCO) was sent to their hometowns in the mainland Thursday morning via Labuan Ferry Terminal.

They boarded nine coach buses and ferried by roll-on-roll-off ferry of Putrajaya 1 at 6 am.

All the students were briefed by the college’s officials and Labuan police personnel after the registration at 3.30 am and departed the campus to the terminal at 5 am.

The buses, which had been sanitised, will transport the students to nine zones of Beaufort/Sipitang (Zone 1), Papar (Zone 2), Papar/Kinarut (Zone 3), Papar/Kinarut/Kepayan (Zone 4), Putatan/Penampang (Zone 5) and Zone 6 for destinations in Penampang/Likas and Luyang.

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Destination for Zone 7 is in the interior of Tenom District, Menumbok/Kuala Penyu/Membakut and Bongawan (Zone 8) and Zone 9 is in Beaufort.

The first batch of 47 Labuan’s tertiary students sent home was from the Labuan Matriculation College to Limbang, Sarawak on May 2 via a chartered ferry, followed by the second batch of 33 students (seven from KML, 26 from Labuan Training Institute (ILP) by hired coach buses on May 4 to Sabah.

The third batch was on Tuesday (May 5) involving 326 students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Labuan International Campus (UMSKAL) sent by two chartered Malaysia Airlines flights to the peninsular and 92 students from KML to various destinations in Sabah by ferry the same day.

KML director Mohd Idris Omar said there were still 703 students from various parts of Sarawak who would be sent home by MASwings flights and arrangement to obtain the tickets was being made.

“The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee has granted an approval (via a letter dated May 5) to the MASwings to operate daily specifically for Labuan Matriculation College’s Sarawak students from Labuan - Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, Limbang, Lawas, Mukah and Miri,” he told Bernama.

Mohd Idris said the big chunk was still from Sabah with 1, 216 students waiting for their turn to return home expected within this week and next week.

“We still have 68 trips both via air, sea and road to send our students to be together with their families and hope there will be no hindrances in the process getting all of them back home before the Aidilfitri celebration. We are glad to see part of students have returned home,” he said.

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Labuan Matriculation College has a total of 2,876 students with Sabah has the most number with 1,945 students followed by Sarawak with 860, two students from Kuala Lumpur, one each from Terengganu and Johor.

The departures of the tertiary students in Labuan was coordinated by Labuan Disaster Management Committee led by Dr Fary Akmal Osman who is also the Labuan Corporation chief executive officer assisted by Labuan Police chief Supt Muhamad Farid Ahmad and Labuan National Security Council director Nurzaliza Kartika Abdullah.

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