KUALA LUMPUR: Wisma Putra has been informed of the detention of 17 Malaysian citizen tabligh members by Indian authorities over their alleged involvement in visa abuse.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar (pix) said, at the moment, Wisma Putra was in the process of identifying the problems and finding out the real story behind the issue, especially from the government of India.
“In the context of visa misuse, the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi reported that 17 Malaysians have been detained under at least three acts, namely, the National Disaster Management Act - 2005, Foreigners Act 1946 and the Indian Penal Code,“ he said at a recent special media conference on the latest development concerning Malaysians stranded overseas, here today.
He said the ministry was very concerned and would ensure that those detained were in good condition.
“I hope that no one will politicise this issue, let alone link it to religious issues. This is because, it will not only cause numerous misunderstandings among the people, but it can also complicate the negotiation that Wisma Putra is working on with the government of India.
“Again, I would like to advise Malaysians who are abroad to always obey the laws of the government in their country of residence,“ he said.
Kamarudin also explained that 191 Malaysian tabligh pilgrims were being quarantined in India.
He said the Wisma Putra, through the Malaysian representatives, in India was constantly monitoring issues of Malaysian tabligh pilgrims currently being quarantined in hospitals or special quarantine centres in several provinces in India.
“The Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi has provided consular assistance including providing personal care packages to some of the Malaysian tabligh pilgrims currently being quarantined,“ he said.
He also explained that the Indian government had yet to provide official information on the status of most other Malaysians being quarantined, including information on the duration of the quarantine and follow-up actions that could be taken after they had completed the quarantine process.
In an effort to facilitate the return of Malaysians stranded in India, Wisma Putra is still awaiting the approval of a flight to take Malaysians out of Chennai.
“The flight was originally scheduled for April 14. As such, Wisma Putra and the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi will continue to negotiate with the government of India to enable this flight to be implemented in the near future.
“The Malaysian Consulate General in Chennai has also provided the necessary consular assistance including hotel and food and drinks to all those affected by the situation,“ he said.
To date, the government had successfully ferried home 2,873 Malaysians stranded in India on 21 flights.
Describing the situation of Malaysians in Africa, Kamarudin said four Malaysians were stranded in N’Djamena, Chad, Africa since March 19 following the closure of N’Djamena airport from midnight March 18 to April 25.
“They are representatives of the Yayasan Amal Malaysia who were carrying out the Endowment Al-Quran Distribution Mission in the country and are due to return to Malaysia on March 19, 2020.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking into the best way to get them back to Malaysia from Chad, including the option for them to board a special chartered aircraft that is being planned to take Malaysians home from several other African countries,“ he said.
According to Kamarudin, several factors such as unstable security situations and logistical issues caused the proposed travel by road from N’Djamena, Chad to Abuja, Nigeria to be ruled out because the distance between the two cities was at least 1,200 km. - Bernama
