Human Rights Watch Accuses Malaysia Of Silencing Minority After Ethnic Indians' Arrests

An international human rights group called on Malaysia Tuesday to release five ethnic Indian activists who have been detained without trial, and accused the Muslim Malay-dominated government of trying to silence a minority.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement that Malaysia should immediately free the five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, who were arrested Thursday under the Internal Security Act for alleged sedition and threatening national security.

The colonial-era ISA allows for detention without trial for an initial period of two years that can be extended indefinitely.

Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the arrests were "an attempt to frighten into silence a minority community concerned about its rights."

"The government must allow all voices to be heard, including those from marginalized communities like Hindraf who are seeking equal access to basic rights," Pearson said.

The five activists had organized a demonstration last month where some 20,000 ethnic Indians participated to voice the community's demand for equal rights. Police used tear gas and water cannons to quell the protest, and charged 31 other people with attempted murder.

The charge was dropped Monday.

Indians, who account for 8 percent and are at the bottom of the economic and social ladder, complain they face discrimination in education, job and business opportunities and their temples have been unfairly demolished. Muslim Malays make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people and dominate the government.

The government has denied that racial discrimination exists and has accused Hindraf of inciting racial hatred and unrest in this multi-ethnic country.

Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have called on the government to abandon the Internal Security Act — last used against political dissent in 2001 — and try those, mainly criminal and terrorist suspects, still held under the law. (International Herald Tribune)

***** Well it looks like the rest of the world knows what racial discrimination in Malaysia is all about and who is being marginalised. Except for the well placed, rent-seeking and favoured umnoputeras and their shameless stooges like Damai Malaysia, that instantly created hotchpotch group of beggars awaiting morsels from the kerajaan, no one within or outside the country is the least bit convinced of the government's silly terrorist theories and callous claims that there is no discrimination in Malaysia. That is the biggest lie this government is trying to spread.

Everyone knows it is Umno that has presided over the worst form of racist practices which have been allowed to thrive in this so-called 'democratic nation' for so long. By wielding draconian laws, by misusing the police force and by persistently raising the spectre of bloodbaths ala May 13th 1969, they have thus far successfully frightened the citizens into forlorn despair and silence. The Hindraf rally has changed all that. In its simple act of defiance, unarmed and unprivileged citizens have brought into stark relief the injustice being perpetrated by this government and Malaysians as a whole have willy-nilly been empowered with a stronger voice and fresh mindset, not by government fiat but by the clever use of people power. Of course the mainstream media continues to publish letters from geriatric goats of all races decrying the rally and condemning the participants.That is all they can do.

Short of a government-sponsored genocide, there is no turning back the clock on badly needed reform and the Umno leadership had better pay more attention to ALL Malaysians or face the consequences of ending up as a post-script in our history, under the section for racist dictators.
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