PERAI: Twenty-one elderly individuals, including five with mental health issues, were abandoned outside the Malaysian Tamilar Kural office in Inderawasih, Prai, on Tuesday.
The former residents had been living at a now-closed care home in Padang Serai, Kedah.
P. David Marshel, the head of the Tamilar Kural NGO, said that they have video footage showing the elderly being dropped off from several vehicles around 12:30pm.
The drivers reportedly "hurriedly removed" the residents and quickly left the scene.
David mentioned that, in April, Tamilar Kural investigated reports of abuse at the elderly care home, which prompted an inquiry by the social welfare department and ultimately led to the facility's closure.
He further explained that NGO representatives managed to locate the displaced residents on Monday (Nov 4) at a rundown warehouse within an oil palm plantation in Sungai Karangan, Kulim, Kedah. Shockingly, they discovered several residents were restrained to their beds.
"It's deeply unsettling to find five mentally challenged individuals and a blind double amputee among the very elderly and sick, abandoned in a dreadful warehouse amidst an oil palm estate," he said.
A video posted on his social media showed the abandoned elderly individuals, prompting authorities to intervene.
The Penang Health and Welfare Executive Councils are coordinating efforts to temporarily relocate the seniors to suitable care facilities while the police and relevant agencies are conducting a thorough investigation.
Some of the elderly were found in distressing conditions, allegedly having been restrained by irresponsible caretakers.
Health screenings are being conducted by the health authorities and the Social Welfare Department are gathering data on elderly individuals.
