GEORGE TOWN: All 21 elderly inmates from a care home in Padang Serai, Kedah, who were left outside the Malaysian Tamilar Kural office in Inderawasih, Prai, yesterday, have been safely re-homed.
Malaysian Tamilar Kural Foundation founder and trustee David Marshel said eight of them were taken in by the Love & Care Home in Kulim, a private facility.
He said the remaining 13 were transferred to the Penang Welfare Department.
He said, of that, three who suffered from mental health issues would be handled by the Penang Health Department, according to information from the state Health Committee chairman's office.
He said all the inmates, who were just left outside the Malaysian Tamilar Kural office about 12.30pm yesterday, were re-homed by 10pm last night.
"On behalf of Malaysian Tamilar Kural Foundation, I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, state Social and Welfare Development Committee chairman Lim Siew Khim and state Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi for directing the relevant departments to take immediate action in this matter.
"I urge the authorities to investigate the individual who placed all the inmates in such a deplorable and neglectful condition.
"I trust that action will be taken in accordance with the law against the individual responsible," he said today.
It was reported that 21 elderly inmates from a care home in Padang Serai, Kedah, were left outside the Malaysian Tamilar Kural office in Inderawasih, Prai, yesterday, sparking outrage.
Malaysian Tamilar Kural Foundation adviser M. Satees believed the abandonment occurred after they went viral with the mistreatment of the inmates, during a visit last weekend.
He said, during the visit, they witnessed several inmates with mental health issues being chained.
They immediately took to social media to call attention to this inhumane treatment and demanded an explanation from the authorities, including the Health Ministry.
Elaborating, David said the unlicensed care home was seized by the Kedah Welfare Department in April this year after a video went viral showing an elderly inmate being beaten by a caretaker at the facility.
However, he said, the operator did not hand over all the inmates to the Welfare Department and instead relocated them to a hut in an oil palm plantation in Sungai Karangan, Kedah.
He said the location lacked basic facilities, and there was no caretaker or nurse to care for the inmates.
He also said the conditions were poor, with a foul smell, making it completely unsuitable for anyone to live there.
He said some inmates were found chained to the hut, allegedly due to mental health issues.
"When we visited the site last Sunday and questioned the operator as to why the residents had not been handed over to Welfare Department, he apologised and promised to do so before Nov 20.
"However, yesterday, he left all 21 of them in front of our office in Prai," he added.