The Thaipusam celebration on Tuesday at the Sri Subramaniar temple in Batu Caves, Malaysia that used to draw hundreds and thousands of devotees annually, and thousands more tourists, will once again be a subdued affair.

It is the second consecutive year the colourful and vibrant Thaipusam celebration atmosphere in Malaysia has been scaled down, much to the disappointment of the devotees and tourists.

The only consolation is...