Evacuate Tamils stranded in Ukraine on special flights: Stalin urges MEA

Hundreds of distress calls from families of student stuck in the country: CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday wrote to Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar, requesting that India evacuate Tamils stranded in Ukraine immediately, where the Russian military has launched an attack. About 5,000 students from Tamil Nadu, mostly in professional courses, and other emigrants from Tamil Nadu are now stranded in Ukraine.

“We have been receiving hundreds of distress calls from the family members of the students studying in Ukraine requesting for their urgent evacuation. However, it has come to our notice that airports in Ukraine are closed. They are in need of our support to be brought back to India safely,” Mr. Stalin said in his letter to Mr. Jaishankar. A copy of the letter was shared with the media.

The Tamil Nadu government has opened 24x7 help desks and a State Nodal Officer has also been appointed to facilitate evacuation of stranded Tamils in Ukraine to coordinate with the Government of India, their families and district administration. “Considering the high number of Tamilians in Ukraine, it is requested that a nodal officer may be nominated for coordination with the Government of Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Stalin said.

The Chief Minister also requested the Government of India to take up the issue with the Ukrainian authorities to evacuate them out of the country immediately. “I also request the Government of India to arrange for special mission flights, such as the Vande Bharat Mission, to evacuate Tamils from various parts of Ukraine. I solicit your urgent action in this regard,” he said.

Madurai Lok Sabha MP Su. Venkatesan too wrote to Mr. Jaisankar, requesting to ensure safety of Tamil students and make arrangements for their return through diplomatic channels at the highest level.

“I am receiving anxious enquiries from the parents of students studying in Ukraine due to prevailing situation there. I understand that there are many students in Ukraine from my constituency alone, and the number may be larger at the State level,” Mr. Venkatesan said in his letter.

He also cited a social media post by the Ambassador of India to Ukraine, which confirmed the gravity of the situation there. “The situation is highly tense and very uncertain and this of course is causing a lot of anxiety. The air space is closed, railway schedules are in flux and roads are crammed.”