KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia will send 209 more soldiers to Timor- Leste in order to help quell escalating violence there, Malaysia's national news agency Bernama said on Friday.

    The soldiers will be leaving Malaysia in a military transport plane at midnight on Friday for Timor-Leste and they are expected to join the 25-member advance team that were already in the island nation, Bernama quoted a spokesman of the Malaysian Defense Ministry as saying.

    Two Royal Malaysian Navy vessels, which left a naval base in northern Malaysia at noon on Friday, were ferrying the equipment of the Malaysian troops, including armored carriers, the spokesman said.

    Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said earlier on Friday that Malaysia was waiting for a report from the Malaysian advance team that arrived in Timor-Leste Friday morning before it decided to deploy its follow-up military contingent in Timor- Leste.

    Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid also said that Malaysia was making arrangements to evacuate its nationals who wished to leave Timor-Leste. Enditem