International   

Indian detenu freed

SINGAPORE: An Indian citizen is among the 13 detenus freed by the Malaysian authorities on Sunday under one of the first orders of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. They were being held under Malaysia’s tough and controversial Internal Security Act (ISA).

The Indian national is said to have been detained in 2007 in a case relating to forgery of documents. However, it has not been possible now to ascertain the facts independently; and the case does not seem to have become an issue in Malaysia’s engagement with India. A top Malaysian official was quoted by the national news agency as saying the freed Indian was now transferred to an immigration detention depot for documentation and background checks.

Two Malaysian Indians belonging to the recently-outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force – V. Ganapathi Rao (also known as Ganbatirau) and R. Kengadharan – were also set free on Sunday. They were among the five Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA in December 2007, at the height of their public campaign against the “marginalisation” of the ethnic-Indian minority in the majority-Malay country.

Hindraf-turned-Makkal Sakthi Chairman, P. Waytha Moorthy, told The Hindu from London that the release of the detenus, including two from his organisation, was only “a ploy to win the hearts of the people” in the imminent by-elections that would test the Prime Minister’s popularity. About Mr. Najib’s pledge to undertake a comprehensive review of the ISA, Mr. Waytha Moorthy said the offer was nothing new as three previous Prime Ministers had made similar commitments. Mr. Najib should unconditionally release all the ISA detenus and scrap the relevant law. He should also “order the immediate closure of Malaysia’s own Guantanamo Bay – Kamunting detention camp,” he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Top LTTE leaders felled, says Sri Lanka
U.S. drones a thorny issue
To present Iran a clear choice
Chinese leaders join green drive
Indian detenu freed
Border security to be tightened during elections: Prachanda
Pakistan documents 16 temples for conservation
Sanjay Jha, top-paid CEO in U.S.
The First Ladies of fashion
Papers brush women out of Israeli Cabinet

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu