DECEMBER 24, 2007 (ANI)
Human rights activists staged a demonstration at the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi today to protest against the demolition of temples and discrimination of the people of Indian origin in Malaysia .
The demonstration was held in view of the Malaysian governments crackdown on ethnic Indians and the demolition of the Shri Maha Mariamman Temple in Padang Jawa town.
"We are protesting against the demolition of temples by the Malaysian Government and also want them to stop discrimination against ethnic Indians in Malaysia . We want them to free Uday Kumar and withdraw all cases against him," said Rajesh Gogna, Convenor, Federation of Human Rights Organisations of India.
Gogna also added that the Centre (Government of India) was doing little to protect the interests of the ethnic Indians in Malaysia .
On November 25, Malaysian police had used teargas to break up a demonstration of about 4000 ethnic Indians.
Ethnic Indians, who make up about seven percent of the population, complain that they are marginalised in terms of employment and business opportunities and places in universities. (Thaindian News)
***** It looks like the Hindraf rally and the subsequent government crackdown followed by the unsubstantiated state-sponsored and orchestrated character assassination of Hindraf and its leaders including the unjustified prosecutions and the immoral use of the ISA has not gone unnoticed.
The powerful emotions unleashed by the rally of impoverished and badly sidelined Malaysian citizens against blatantly racist practices by the ruling Umno party has found sympathy, understanding and support from rational quarters all over the world. The sight of helpless and unarmed men and women confronting the arms and ammunition of a brutal riot police force so vividly and dramatically exposed by youtube, has captured and crystallised the essence of the uphill struggle that these poor Indians are experiencing and that too against a remorseless, race-and-religion-obsessed political party dominated government.