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Figures belie fears about UAE amnesty

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Feb. 13. The number of expatriate Malayalis who have so far sought to take advantage of the general amnesty announced by the UAE Government belies fears about a major reverse exodus to the State, the Minister for Non-Keralite Affairs, M.M. Hassan, told the Assembly today.

Responding to a calling attention motion by Benoy Viswam (CPI), the Minister said only 616 Malayalis had sought to take advantage of the amnesty scheme as on January 31. Altogether, 1,113 Indians had applied to the Indian Embassy for benefit of the amnesty scheme, he said.

Mr. Hassan said initially there was fear that as many as 40,000 Indians would return home following the promulgation of the amnesty scheme by the UAE Government and that as many as 25,000 of them would be Malayalis.

A five-member Cabinet sub-committee had been constituted and the Government had sent the NORKA secretary to the UAE for discussions with the Indian Embassy officials and the UAE Director General of Emigrations.

The UAE authorities had promised all help in providing easy passage to Keralites who might have to return availing the amnesty, he said.

The Minister said the actual number of persons who would return to the State under the scheme would be known only by mid-March and the Indian Embassy's estimate was that not more than 10,000 Indians would return. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, had written to the Prime Minister urging him to ask Air India to bring back those returning under the amnesty scheme on concessional fare.

The Emirates Airlines had promised to ferry the returnees home free of cost on condition that they would be allowed to take back passengers on these flights as well.

He said the KSRTC had been requested to operate special bus services for the returnees from all three airports in the State and the Shipping Corporation of India to operate ship services between West Asia and India in the event of a mass exodus.

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