RELIEF was on the faces of parents and family members of the 97 Bruneians who returned home from Egypt yesterday morning, courtesy of the Brunei government following His Majesty the Sultan and Yang DiPertuan of Brunei Darussalam's order to bring them home for their safety.
The citizens, mostly students, were brought back on a chartered Safi Airways flight from Dubai after being moved there from Egypt for their safety.
Minister of Religious Affairs Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Pg Hj Abdul Rahman said during an interview at the Brunei International Airport that he and the ministry were very happy about the safe return of the 97 Bruneians from Egypt.
The minister, who was present to greet the returning students, said if the situation in Egypt improves, the students would be heading back on February 14.
Anti-government protests in Egypt which began last Tuesday have been getting increasingly violent with unconfirmed reports suggesting that as many as 300 people may have been killed, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said recently.
Asked if the students would continue their studies in Brunei if they could not return to Egypt, the minister replied, "When we come to that juncture we will think of what to do. For now we are praying the situation will improve so it is safe for them to return."
Pg Dato Dr Hj Muhammad said as it was holiday break in Egypt, many students had left Egypt for other countries and some had returned to Brunei.
"For those students who have gone abroad and are safe we are not taking any action to bring them back. However, if protests continue past the 14th we may consider it," he said.
Also present to greet the returning Bruneians at the airport yesterday was the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng and Second Minister of Finance Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Ibrahim.
A doa selamat was read before the evacuees crossed the immigration checkpoint to be greeted by family members.
Among them was Hidayatul Ajeerah Hj Kamis who said she was excited to see her mother and younger sister, but was saddened at the same time as her father was still in Cairo.
"My father is the third secretary at the embassy there. Although I am excited to see my mother and sister, I am worried about the safety of my dad," said the 22-year-old.
She added, "Nevertheless, I am really grateful that His Majesty quickly approved for the families and students to come back."
Hjh Noraini Hj Asmat was also grateful to His Majesty for making the decision to bring home the Bruneians in Egypt, among them her two sons Muhd Naqib and Muhd Najib Hj Awang.
"I lost contact with them on Friday and I wasn't able to talk to them until they reached Dubai. I was very worried and scared during those six days," she said.
Pg Hj Hairin Pg Hj Ali, from Lambak Kanan said over the last week he and his family only received text messages from his daughter Dk Hjh Noraini who was studying at the University of Kaherah.
"In her messages she said they were all safe. She also updates us on what was happening there and what actions were taken by the embassy," he said.
He added, "As a father, I was worried about my daughter's safety. Words cannot express the gratitude that we feel knowing His Majesty ordered the safe evacuation of our children. Thanks also goes to the relevant ministries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Religious Affairs."
SOUNDS of gunshots and explosions coupled with news of thousands of escaped prisoners roaming the streets of Cairo were more than enough to make Bruneian Siti Katizah Hj Rasit, 25, want to flee Egypt and be home.
Siti Katizah, a Ministry of Education scholar, was among the 97 Brunei citizens who arrived in Brunei yesterday, thanks to His Majesty's Government's intervention in taking them home safely days after unprecedented anti-government protests began in Egypt.
"We heard a lot of explosions not very far from where we were staying," she said in an interview with The Brunei Times upon her arrival in Brunei International Airport. "Of course I cried because Brunei is peaceful and we have never experienced this. What scared me the most was that there were 6,000 escaped prisoners during the protests," she said.
It was the first time for the Bruneian students to experience frightening scenes of political chaos.
Nurul Haqedza Hj Idris, 20, also recounted the same experience of hearing explosions rocking Cairo following the outbreak of political protests demanding that President Hosni Mubarak quit after decades in power.
For Nurul Haqedza, it was a school break that turned ugly. She was one of the two Bruneian students studying in Jordan and went to Cairo for their semester break just before the start of the turmoil.
She was shocked when the protests erupted on Tuesday last week, and she became increasingly fearful over the next few days.
"I definitely felt like coming home straight away. We could hear explosions and gunshots from our place, and there were lootings going on as well," she said.
Mohd Saifullah Hj Bolhassan, 24, turned to prayers when fear hit him in Cairo.
"I heard gunshots and was scared, but praying helped ease my fears. I also learnt that the protests did not happen near our place, and that they did not want to hurt us Bruneians and had their own reasons," he said.
By the command of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the students along with family members of Brunei Embassy staff in Cairo were evacuated on Monday on a chartered aircraft that took them to Dubai. They then left Dubai on another chartered aircraft that landed in Brunei yesterday morning.
Before passing the immigration checkpoint, Nurul Haqedza hailed: "I am very happy and feel lucky to be back home."
The students were all generous in their gratitude to His Majesty for bringing them back home safely and quickly. Many expatriates in Egypt were at a loss as to how they could flee the country in turmoil as flight schedules were disrupted and even those who had bookings could not get an assurance that they could get on a plane out of Cairo.
Siti Katizah said she wanted to thank His Majesty for bringing all the Bruneians back together safely.
"His Majesty really brought us out of Cairo as soon as possible, and I am also thankful to the officers in Egypt for taking a lot of efforts in taking care of us there," she said.
Mohd Saifullah said: "I am so grateful to His Majesty for his concern over us and bringing us home to Brunei. The whole process in sending us back was really fast, and I am excited to see my family."
Student Mohd Adham Hashim, 21, said he was excited and pleased to be reunited with his family members. "I want to thank His Majesty for giving us the opportunity to come back as soon as possible."
The Brunei Embassy staff were quick to gather Brunei citizens in Cairo. The students were relocated and were then prohibited from the leaving the premises.
Siti Katizah said from Tuesday to Saturday, the students were being put on curfew at their residences, and were asked not to leave the premises.
Their daily food needs were taken care of as the embassy, she said, had food sent to their doorsteps.
It was, however, not enough for someone like Nurul Haqedza who had difficulty sleeping during those few nights when fear kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning.
Mohd Saifullah said he was ecstatic to be home but he was also worried about his studies.
"Our university is supposed to start the semester mid February, although it is currently closed," he said.
Mohd Adham said that he intended to return to Cairo to continue his studies, once protests were over.
Source: The Brunei Times
And here are some latest video of the situation in Egypt
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