The release of ISA detainee, T Vasanthakumar, the organising secretary of Hindraf, from the Kamunting Detention Camp this afternoon was a Mother's Day gift for his 62-year-old mother, Manomani.

She was overjoyed as her 18 month-ordeal filled with prayers and tears had been finally answered.

hindraf vasanthakumar hospital visit 180408 vasantha Manomani had travelled every weekend without fail from Sungai Petani in Kedah to spend an hour with her son at the detention camp.

She told reporters that she had received a telephone call from the camp authorities at 8.30pm yesterday telling her that her son would be released this afternoon.

She, with her 37-year-old daughter Parameswari, arrived at the camp at about 12.30pm and saw Vasanthakumar and another Hindraf leader M Manoharan being taken away in two unmarked white Proton Wira and escorted by another white Proton Wira driven by police to Kuala Lumpur at about 3pm.

Earlier in the day, there were only about 20 Hindraf supporters, friends and family members outside the camp.

A bigger crowd had gathered outside the detention centre when both Hindraf leaders R Kenghadharan and V Ganabatirau were released last month.

Today, at about 12.40pm, some of the 10 foreigners - who were also released along with the Hindraf trio - left the camp in a van escorted by an Immigration Department car.

Told to sit in a Proton Wira car

Later, the rest of the foreigners followed in another immigration van out of the camp.

At about 2.05pm, Vasanthakumar was brought in a prison van from his cell and told to sit inside the last of the three Proton Wira cars parked inside the camp’s compound.

Later at about 2.45pm, M Manoharan was also escorted in a prison van from his cell and ordered to sit in the second Proton Wira car.

Both received moral support from their supporters and friends outside with their names being called out along with shouts of “Long live Makkal Sakthi and Hindraf”.

It is believed that both the two Hindraf leaders had signed conditional release letters before they were released from the camp at 3pm.

uthayakumar released from isa detention seremban event 090509 09 However, the same could not be said about the last of the five Hindraf leaders, P Uthayakumar, who put up a fight to the demand by the camp authorities for him to sign the conditional release papers.

He refused to entertain them and prefered to stay put in the camp rather than take their offer of 'limited freedom'.

Eventually, he was forcibly taken in the prison van to the waiting car driven by his fiance, S Indra Devi, in the compound of the camp.

The five Hindraf leaders had been detained in December 2007 after mounting a massive street protest which saw tens of thousands of Indian Malaysians taking to the streets.