The Hindu : Front Page : Malaysian Indians stage protest rally

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 26, 2007
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Malaysian Indians stage protest rally

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: A group, called the Hindu Rights Action Force, on Sunday defied a court order and staged a rally in Kuala Lumpur, protesting against the alleged “marginalisation” of the ethnic Indian minority in Malaysia.

Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the agitators at one or two places in the city in the morning. The group had mobilised at least a few thousand activists in a rare show of defiance by the members of the community.

“Equal rights”

Some carried poster-size pictures of Mahatma Gandhi but there was no indication that the protesters were calling for India’s “intervention” or moral support.

The rally for “equal rights” was actually planned as part of a move to submit a petition to the British Embassy. Certain colonial practices had led to the formation of ethnic Indian settlements in the Malay Peninsula. According to an independent estimate, Malaysian Indians today number about eight per cent of the country’s population.

Sunday’s protest follows a recent rally by the former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and his supporters for “a fair and free electoral system.”

“Many’ held

No exact number of the protesters at Sunday’s rally, some of whom turned violent, was available. Independent observers said “dozens” sustained injuries and “hundreds” were arrested.

Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) leader and Works Minister Samy Vellu, distancing himself from the protest, said neither the government nor his party supported street demonstrations to resolve problems. “The MIC has been working within the system, and it has proven to be successful,” he said.

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