Government to repatriate 19 Indian students from Malaysia

Government is making all efforts to bring back 19 Indian students who had entered Malaysia with "false" work visas, Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh said on Wednesday.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, he said 19 Indian students, who had entered Malaysia with "false Malaysian work visa", have approached the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur with the request for their early repatriation to India.

Emergency Certificates to these 19 students were immediately issued by our Mission as they had claimed retention of their passports by the employer, he said.

"Our Mission is constantly facilitating various formalities of Malaysia Immigration and closely following up the matter with Malaysian Authorities," Singh said.

The stay and other arrangements for these students in Malaysia are currently being looked after by the Principal of the SES College, Thane, where these students are reported to be studying.

"The Ministry of External Affairs, through our Mission in Kuala Lumpur will continue to render all possible assistance in sending these individuals back to India at the earliest and on completion of necessary formalities by the Malaysia authorities," Singh said.

According to media reports, the students were placed in Malaysian hotels through a Singapore-based agency in August 2013, but the firms, they were employed with, stopped paying them in May and terminated their contracts in June.

Meanwhile, the MEA said they have evacuated four Indian from Gaza on July 21. There are five Indians in Palestine, none of whom are willing to return to India, a separate written reply said. Of the five, three are married to Palestinians.