No Free Lunch?

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Malaysians who registered as voters in India denied nation's citizenship

Malaysians who registered as voters in India denied nation's citizenship

Calcutta News.Net
Wednesday 21st July, 2010 (ANI)​

Many Malaysian-born "citizens" have complained that their citizenship have been revoked in the country after they were discovered to be registered voters in India.

According to The Star, among such citizens include 49-year-old Anne Clljudis who stayed on in India after she married an Indian national at 19.

"When we arrived here to renew her passport in 2004, Immigration officers confiscated her passport and identity card as soon as we touched down at KL International Airport," the paper quoted her husband George Stanley, as saying.

He said that they were detained there for 36 hours with their daughter, who had accompanied them from India, before being allowed to proceed to the Immigration Department to retrieve Clljudis' documents.

He said they were then passed around from the NRD to the Home Ministry but the couple was left disappointed when Home Ministry officers instructed Clljudis to apply for permanent resident (PR) status first.

"But she is a Malaysian and not a foreigner. How can she apply for PR status?" Stanley asked.

This is not the plight of Clljudis alone. Singaporean P. Vijayagopal is among many.

"I received a notice of his citizenship revocation in 1995 by the NRD after it found that he was registered as a voter in India in September 1988. Now, he is stranded there with no work and has to rely on me for financial support," his father Gopal Krishan said.

Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam said he had received calls from people who had experienced the same problem.

"All of them are at their wit's end as they do not know where else to go, Suhakam will look into other avenues to find a solution to this issue," he added.

 

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Sir, can I have more?

The Star Online > Nation
Wednesday July 21, 2010

More cases of ‘non-citizens’
By WONG PEK MEI
[email protected]

PETALING JAYA: More Malaysian-born “citizens” are coming forward to share their plight of having their citizenship revoked after they were found to be registered as voters in India.
On July 5, The Star reported the case of 52-year-old Mageswari Koothan, who had her citizenship revoked by the National Registration Department (NRD) after her name appeared in a voter registration list in India.
Following the report, The Star received several calls and e-mails from those in the same boat.
One of them is 49-year-old Anne Clljudis who stayed on in India after she married an Indian national at 19.
According to her husband George Stanley, they found out Clljudis had lost her citizenship when they went to renew her passport.
“When we arrived here to renew her passport in 2004, Immigration officers confiscated her passport and identity card as soon as we touched down at KL International Airport,” the 59-year-old said in a telephone interview.
He said they were detained there for 36 hours with their daughter, who had accompanied them from India, before being allowed to proceed to the Immigration Department to retrieve Clljudis’ documents.
He said they were then passed around from the NRD to the Home Ministry.
Clljudis and Stanley were left disappointed when Home Ministry officers told them she would have to apply for permanent resident (PR) status first.
“But she is a Malaysian and not a foreigner. How can she apply for PR status?” asked Stanley, who said he had sold their home in India to sustain them here.
Stanley said he was worried that if his wife were to fall sick, he would be unable to take her to the hospital for treatment.
“This is a very severe form of imprisonment,” he said.
Singaporean Gopal Krishan called The Star on behalf of his Malaysian son P. Vijayagopal, who he claimed was stranded and stateless in India.
“He left for India intending to further his studies as there was no job available here for him. Instead, he took care of my properties there for me,” said the 79-year-old.
Gopal added that Vijaya later wanted to return to start his own business here but the plan came to a full stop.
“I received a notice of his citizenship revocation in 1995 by the NRD after it found that he was registered as a voter in India in September 1988. Now, he is stranded there with no work and has to rely on me for financial support,” he said.
When contacted, Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam said he had received calls from people who had experienced the same problem. “All of them are at their wit’s end as they do not know where else to go.”
Nayagam said he met Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam on July 13 to discuss Mageswari’s case.
“The Malaysian Government acted fairly in her case as they gave her a time-frame to appeal and a fair inquiry to hear her out.
“But after checking with all the relevant departments and based on the legal system, they found enough grounds for her citizenship to be revoked,” he said.
However, Nayagam is not giving up.
“Suhakam will look into other avenues to find a solution to this issue,” he said.
Nayagam encouraged those in a similar predicament – neither a Malaysian nor an Indias citizen – to contact him at 012-314 1100.


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