Kuala Lumpur: Syrians in Malaysia came together to celebrate the end of decades of Assad family rule following president Bashar al-Assad’s resignation and a peaceful transfer of power, as confirmed by ally Russia.
A video shared on social media platform X showed Syrians outside the Syrian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur replacing the Syrian flag with the rebel flag.
The Syrian rebel flag consists of three horizontal stripes — green, white and black — with three red stars in the white stripe. In contrast, the Syrian national flag, which is used by the government under the Assad regime, has three horizontal stripes in red, white and black, but with two green stars in the white stripe.
One online user Wael Qarssifi wrote, “No more Assadism, no more forever. Soon, our Malaysians brothers and sisters will all be welcome to visit us in a free Syria.”
The Syrians at the embassy were also seen sharing food and praying in gratitude for the nation’s newfound freedom.
TikTok user alhor298 raised the Malaysian flag in Syria in his video titled, “Out of my love for Malaysia and its people, I raised the Malaysian flag in Aleppo Citadel.”
According to Sinar Harian, similar celebrations were observed globally, with Syrians dismantling statues of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father, who established the Baath Party regime over five decades ago.
This historic development came after a rapid rebel offensive seized key Syrian cities, including Damascus.
Bashar, who had ruled Syria since 2000, reportedly fled the country following negotiations for a peaceful handover of power, which Russia claimed he had ordered before stepping down.
His tenure was marked by violent suppression of pro-democracy protests starting in 2011, which escalated into a devastating civil war.
The conflict led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions.
Malaysia, known for hosting refugees from various nations, provides shelter to a small number of Syrians fleeing the prolonged conflict in their homeland.
While precise figures are unclear, Syrians form part of the broader refugee and asylum-seeker population in the country, which totals over 185,000 people.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry reassured that all registered Malaysians in Syria remain safe and encouraged them to register on the E-Konsular platform for updates and assistance.
