CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday urged the Union Government to take urgent steps to bring back over 5,000 Tamils, mostly students now stranded in Ukraine where the Russian military has moved in.
"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 their urgent evacuation," the Chief Minister said in his letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
The Chief Minister said since the airports in Ukraine have been closed, the Tamils there are in need of support for their return to India safely.
"I request the Government of India to take up this issue with the authorities in Ukraine for evacuating them out of Ukraine immediately. Also, Special Mission Flights like Vande Bharath Mission to evacuate them from various parts of Ukraine can be arranged," the Chief Minister said.
Stalin said the State government has opened 24x7 help desks and a State Nodal Officer has also been appointed to facilitate the 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," he added.