MADURAI: District collector MS Sangeetha welcomed eight Tamils returning from Israel at Madurai airport on Sunday. Later, they were sent to their respective districts.
Manoj Shanmugasundaram (28), who is a Ph.D Chemistry student at Barilan University in Israel said he has been in the war-torn country for the past two-and-a-half years. "Students have a shelter room in the university for emergency situations. Missile attacks are being carried in large level at the border areas, causing panic. Nearly 1,000 students are studying in Israel in seven varsities. Both the state and union governments jointly took efforts to evacuate us," he said, adding that he has one more year to complete the course.
Another PH.D student, Angel, said, "Students are under severe stress and have to undergo a number of sleepless nights. Though the University taught us how to manage emergency situations, the continuous fire exchange made us return to India. Parents were also starting to worry about us. I will try to complete the work online." Of the total eight students, four hail from Madurai, three from Tiruchy and one from Dindigul.
Health minister Ma Subramanian and officials attached to the Non-Resident Tamils welfare department welcomed 32 Tamils in Chennai, while nine Tamils stranded in Israel landed in Coimbatore. A total of 98 Tamils have now returned to their native places with the support of both the state and union governments. Additionally, 12 Tamils returned to the state at their own expense.