Malaysian embassy in Syria temporarily closed

The Foreign Ministry of Malaysia has ordered that country's embassy in Syria to be temporarily closed due to the ongoing conflict there.

Bernama (the Malaysian National News Agency) and Malaysian Sun Daily carried a report stating quoted Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman as saying that the embassy in Damascus could not be completely closed since there are eight Malaysian students in Syria who are refusing to return home. He explained to reporters that, "For the moment, we cannot shut down the embassy, as our officers there need to manage the Malaysians." 130 Malaysian students are registered with the Malaysian embassy in Syria. 107 of them have been evacuated as a result of the crisis in Syria. Seven returned on their own and eight others are on holiday.