CHENNAI: Finally, there is light at the end of tunnel for the five Indians languishing at Tanah Merah Detention Camp, Kelantan, Malaysia, despite completing their sentences for visa-related offences moe than a year ago. According to camp sources, the Emergency Certificate r(EC), which enables their homebound journey, has been issued by the Indian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, two days ago and reached the addressees on Thursday noon.While four of them, Adaikan (Pudukottai), Gopalasamy (Mannargudi) and Pandian (Mannargudi) from TN and Bentu Singh (Nawa Sahar, Punjab) have received their ECs, IHC officials are still processing the EC of the fifth person Kulwinder Singh (Moga, Punjab) and it is likely to be issued in a couple of days.Speaking to Express from Kuala Lumpur, T Kamalanathan, a social activist who took up the Indians’ case with the IHC from the beginning, said, “Camp authorities have confirmed to me of having received four ECs and the fifth one for Kulwinder is expected in another two days.”It may be noted that Express, in its October 7 edition, carried a story on the plight of these five men and also about other such Indians at different labour detention camps in Malaysia.When these men began their fast in the first week of October inside the camp seeking immediate attention of High Commission to send them back to India, the IHC and Tanah Merah Camp authorities met them and promised to look into their problem. Convinced with the assurance, they withdrew their fast within days.With no information coming from the IHC on the issue for about three weeks, Kamalanathan a few days ago met officials at the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) and submitted a memorandum on the plight of Indian nationals.
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