- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Malaysian Prime Minister Criticized As 118,000 Flee Heavy Flooding

© REUTERS / Nazirul RoselanOver 100,000 people have been evacuated due to Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades
Over 100,000 people have been evacuated due to Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades - Sputnik International
Subscribe
As local media published pictures of people struggling to evade flood waters as deep as two meters, the Malaysian government has come under fire for not declaring a state of emergency.

MOSCOW, December 26 (Sputnik) — Over 100,000 people have been evacuated due to Malaysia’s worst flooding in decades as the country’s premier Najib Razak is criticized after pictures of him playing golf with US President Barack Obama were published, AFP reports.

The flooding has killed at least five people. According to forecasts, a heavy downpour is expected over the next few days in previously unaffected parts of the country, including the state of Jonor, which neighbors Singapore.

The northern and eastern provinces of the country were hit by torrential rains three days ago. - Sputnik International
Asia
Three Dead, 60,000 Displaced due to Heavy Rain and Flooding in Sri Lanka
As local media published pictures of people struggling to evade flood waters as deep as two meters, the government has come under fire for not declaring a state of emergency.

Seasonal flooding in Malaysia occurs every year with tens of thousands of people fored to flee their homes. This year’s disaster has forced authorities to evacuate some 118,000 people in four flood-hit states, according to Bernama state news agency.

Flood waters washed off several roads, and authorities have suspended train services in some of the worst-affected areas. The storms have also hit radio communications.

Some states and districts across Malaysia have cancelled New Year celebration events as a mark of respect to flood victims.

Meanwhile, nearly 100 tourists who were stranded in a remote resort in central Malaysia’s Mutiara Taman Negara Resort were rescued.

Prime Minister Razak called on rescue workers trying to reach flood victims to speed up their efforts to deliver food and water to the affected regions.

6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesian coast - Sputnik International
6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes off Indonesian Coast
Najib Razak himself came under criticism when photos emerge of him golfing with Obama in Hawaii, with Malaysians questioning why he was far away from home and dealt with the disaster via his official Facebook page. Moreover, critics blamed Najib’s cabinet for failing to respond on time.

"The PM needs time to take a break," Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

Yassin stressed the government had responded appropriately to the crisis, telling the newspaper: "We face floods every year but this is looking to be the worst the country has seen in the last 30 years."

"Unless there was a total breakdown in electricity or water supply, or if the number of evacuees rises to over hundreds of thousands, we will not declare a state of emergency," he added.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала