28 December 2004 – Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Luis T. Cruz, today reported to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo that no Filipino was affected by the tsunami that hit parts of the country on 26 December 2004.

CDA Cruz said the first of the tidal waves hit the coastal areas in the states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor last Sunday with the waves reaching five meters in Penang while waves as high as eight meters hit the nearby island of Langkawi.

After the tsunami hit parts of Malaysia’s western coastline, CDA Cruz said the Philippine Embassy immediately communicated with the Filipino community leaders in Langkawi and Penang who said that “no Filipino nationals in these areas were affected by the disaster.”

The powerful 9.0 magnitude earthquake that emanated from the sea about 160 kilometers northwest of the Indonesian island of Sumatra sent shockwaves across South and Southeast Asia, which resulted in tsunami that hit parts of Malaysia.  The states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor were hit at different times.

The waves reaching five to eight meters high hit the coastal areas of western Malaysia, damaging infrastructure, communication lines and property while claiming hundreds of lives, in what was described by Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the worst natural disaster in Malaysia’s history.

Secretary Romulo instructed the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to continue monitoring the situation to extend assistance to any Filipino in Malaysia that might be affected by the havoc caused by the tsunami.  END.