COMMENT | Lawyer M Manoharan made a heartfelt plea to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution on the fate of two Malaysians who were recently repatriated to Malaysia from Iran. Most Malaysians arrested abroad are for drug offences, and they are no different.

Before you think there is any excitement and intrigue behind their arrest. There are none. They are not Pablo Escobar, nor are they an organised group.

They were an aunt and a niece. A holiday trip to Japan, booked through an unscrupulous travel agent, landed them in a bizarre Iranian transit option.

Cancellation requests are met with threats of “burning” their bookings, putting their hard-earned savings at risk.

Their vacation plan went from a happy flight to Japan to a ‘sunk-cost’ transit through Iran that cost them six years in Iran, and likely 19 more in Malaysia.

The family had to struggle to find...