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Thousands flee floodwaters in Malaysia

December 26, 2014

Thousands of people have been displaced in Malaysia as the nation experiences severe monsoon floods. The prime minister has been criticized for playing golf with the US president instead of being at home.

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Malaysia December 24
Image: AFP/Getty Images/STR

Malaysia's state Bernama news agency said over 100,000 people had been forced from their homes and into shelters in five northern Malaysian states. While seasonal floods hit Malaysia every year, this latest monsoon flooding has been described as the worst in decades.

The eastern states that face the South China Sea have been the worst hit, including Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. Train services to these states have been canceled, and many roads cut off. The western Perak, Perlis and Kedah states have also been affected.

News agency dpa said there were four people who had died in Kelantan and one in Terengganu.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said bad weather and extremely high floodwaters were making it difficult to transport displaced people and food supplies.

Najib's Facebook page has been bombarded with posts, demanding he return home from Hawaii, where he has spent his holiday golfing with US President Barack Obama.

Najib said on Facebook that he had instructed his deputy to increase efforts to help victims.

Malaysia's meteorological department says bad weather will continue until Saturday, with strong north-easterly winds sending waves as high as 4.5 meters off the east coasts.

The flooding comes as northwestern Malaysian communities as well as other Asian nations mark the 10th anniversary of the region's devastating 2004 tsunami.

jr/gsw (dpa, Reuters)