There are so many arrest on illegal assembly lately… so many that I have lost count on it. Most of the arrests are unnecessary; and how the arrests were carried out is questionable as well.
Below is a video on PKR’s information chief Tian Chua being arrested near the Parliament House. He had probably resisted the arrest… but does he deserved the punch after he was apprehended? I wonder…
Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters were charged with attempted murder and causing damage to public property during the mass rally in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25. [Malaysiakini]
No sympathy from me. I know some people will argue that the police were using tear gases, water cannons and some violent acts as well, but two wrongs don’t make one right… it doesn’t mean that it’s ok to throw bricks and iron pipes at the police when the cops were using force.
Yes, the charges might be biased and discriminative. It’s uncommon for Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail to personally handle the case when he is ignoring some other more pressing cases (Altantuya’s murder for example)… and besides that, I can’t stop wondering what has happened to the officer that fired 4 shots to the crowd at Batu Buruk fracas.
Still, it doesn’t mean that it is wrong to charge the Hindraf supporters. If there is anything to concern about… it’s to make sure that the prosecutors are not framing the accused but have solid proof to press the charges, and that the trial is handle fair and square with proper transparency.
Saw this from Rocky… Hindraf’s memorandum to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. There are some strong accusations mentioned, judge it yourself…
HINDRAF
Hindu Rights Action Force
No. 135-3-A, Jalan Toman 7,
Kemayan Square,
70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Malaysia. Tel : 06-7672995/6
Fax: 06-7672997 Email waytha@hotmail.com15.11.2007
The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown
Prime Minister of the United Kindom
10 Downing Street, Fax: +442079250918
London, URGENT
SW1A 2AADear Sirs,
RE: 1. COMMONWEALTH ETHNIC INDIAN PEACE LOVING SUBJECTS IN MALAYSIA PERSECUTED BY GOVERNMENT BACKED ISLAMIC EXTREMIST VIOLENT ARMED TERRORIST WHO LAUNCHED A PRE DAWN VIOLENT ARMED ATTACK AND DESTROYED THE KG JAWA MARIAMAN HINDU TEMPLE AT 4.00 A.M THIS MORNING (15.11.2007).
2. APPEAL FOR U.K TO MOVE EMERGENCY U.N RESOLUTION CONDEMNING “ETHNIC CLEANSING” IN MALAYSIA.
3. APPEAL TO REFER MALAYSIA TO THE WORLD COURT AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR CRIMES AGAINST IT’S OWN ETHNIC MINORITY INDIANS.
We refer to the above critical matters in Malaysia but which generally gets the least attention locally even by the Opposition parties, NGO’s, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission and the media for this community is generally regarded as politically insignificant, do not draw local or international funding and are deemed not pressworthy. To the contrary the Malaysian government has successfully projected itself to the world as a modern Islamic thinking country which is not true.
The ethnic minority Indians in Malaysia were brought in to Malaysia by the British some 200 over years ago. Since independence in 1957 the Malaysian Indians have been permanently colonialised by the Islamic fundamentalist and Malay chauvinists UMNO led Malaysian government.
Among the recent atrocities committed by this government are as follows:-
1.100 over Indians were slashed and killed by the UMNO controlled Malaysian government in the Kampung Medan mini genocide. Despite numerous appeals, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission has refused to hold a Public Inquiry. The UMNO controlled Malaysian courts struck off a victim’s public interest civil suit for a Public Inquiry to be held without even the said UMNO controlled government having to file in their defence. The UMNO controlled Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police refused to investigate and / or initiate an inquest into the death of at least six Indians in this tragedy despite.
2. Every week one person at average is killed in a shot to kill policy and in every 2 weeks one person is killed in police custody. About 60% of these victims are Indians though they form only 8% of the Malaysian population.
3. In every three weeks one Hindu temple is demolished in Malaysia.
The latest being the demolishment of the Mariaman temple in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam, Selangor early this morning (15.11.2007) and the next being the (Mutaiya) Hindu temple in Sungai Petani scheduled for the 29.11.2007.
A violent armed pre down attack at 4.00a.m this morning was launched by the UMNO controlled Malaysian government backed by about 600 police, riot police, Islamic extremist and armed terrorists which completely destroyed this temple.
In an attack two weeks ago, uniformed police, riot police and city Council officers hurled rocks and attacked unarmed Hindu devotees with knives, sticks and iron rods.
At least 20 Hindu devotees were seriously injured and 19 arrested including 4 of their United Kingdom trained lawyers in direct violation of Article 5 (Right to life) Article 8 (Equality) Article 11 (Freedom of Religion) Section 295 (defiling a place of worship), Section 296 (disturbing a religious assembly), 298A(causing racial disharmony) and Section 441(criminal trespass) of the Malaysian Penal Code.
These authorities are plagued by an above the law mindset and in fact liberally take the law into their own hands. These atrocities however does not happen to almost all Islamic places of worship. Please visit www.policewatchmalaysia.com for further and better particulars.
4. State sponsored direct discrimination against the Indians in Public University intakes, Indian (Tamil) Schools, skills training institutes, civil service and private sector job opportunities, business and license opportunities and in almost all other aspects of daily life.
Despite our hundreds of letters, appeals and pleas to the Malaysian King and Sultans, the Prime Minister, Attorney General, Inspector General of Police, Ministers, Chief Ministers and the latest being our letters to the Prime Minister dated 29.10.2007 and 30.10.2007 and to the Attorney General dated 1.11.2007 the Malaysian authorities are only proceeding with greater ferocity and with impunity with very little regard for the Federal Constitution and laws of Malaysia. So please help us.
CONCLUSION
We fear that this peace loving Indian community of Tamil origin having been pushed to the corner and the persecution getting worse by the day may be forced to into terrorism in a matter of time as what has happened to the Sri Lankan Tamils.
APPEAL
On our part we are committed to a peaceful and lawful struggle and pray and appeal that the Government of the United Kingdom:-
1. Moves an emergency United Nations resolution condemning these state sponsored atrocities and persecutions of Malaysian Indians in Malaysia.
2. Refers Malaysia to the World Court and the International Criminal Court for Crimes against it’s own ethnic minority Indians
Thank You,
Yours Faithfully
P.Uthayakumar
Legal Adviser
Thousands of protestors turned out on Sunday rally organized by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf); and as expected… the police took stern action against to disperse the crowd, leading to further chaos. Hundreds arrested, injuries reported from polices and the organizers.
What has Hindraf achieved in the end?
Don’t get me wrong. As mentioned at my previous post… although I am not a public demo fan, I don’t feel that I have the right to deny others the freedom of expression. However, I am really confused on what Hindraf is fighting for.
In general view… Hindraf has planned the gathering to submit their petition to Queen Elizabeth II seeking support for the Indian community in a US$4 trillion class action suit against the British government for bringing Indians as labourers to the then Malaya and thereafter exploiting them.
The suit is a joke; the Hindraf organizers should know that. Initially I gave them beneficial of doubts thinking that they are using the suit to gain wide attention to the social problem instead of taking the monetary claim seriously… I hope I was right.
I have doubts on what Hindraf is trying to achieve with the protest though. After taking all the effort to bring people to the streets to endure the tear gas and water cannon… Hindraf failed to make a constructive point of what they are fighting for.
Ya, I know… fighting for equal rights for Indian minorities. However, what exactly do Hindraf want? They have to make their demand clear and precise.
More Indian schools?
More public servicing jobs for Indians?
Minimum wage for blue collars?
Stop demolition of Hindu temples?
Permits for Hindu temples?
Samy Vellu to step down from leadership?
So, what is Hindraf actually fighting for? Precisely?
Update Nov 29 - Hindraf’s memorandom to UK Prime Minister
I am not a supporter of the BERSIH’s yellow march yesterday (Nov 10) despite its great success (as claimed by the organisers).
I applaud the protesters’ spirit to convey their thoughts;
I condemn police’s action to use tear gas and water cannons on the protesters;
I hope that the Election Commission (EC) could be more independent;
I wish that the flaws in our electoral system could be minimized.
So why am I still not a supporter of the BERSIH rally?
Hundreds of houses, a surau and a Hindu temple at Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, Shah Alam, were demolished by authorities on October 30.
The operation was protested by some residents and Hindu devotees, which turned into a police confrontation… people getting injured and some arrested. Shots reportedly fired, and the demolition was later alleged to be without a valid court order.
Above is my simple understanding of what was happening at the Rimba Jaya fracas… prime media is not giving much coverage about this issue except some interviews with Samy Vellu who finally speak up about temple demolition, which came a bit too late and with dubious intention of fearing a slash back by Indian voters in coming election.
News and thoughts from various sources…
The news…
Temple demolition leads to all-out fracas
Temple Demolished Without Warning - A Cruel ActBloggers’ thoughts…
Go fly kite
Kg Rimba Jaya
Pictures of latest Hindu temple Demolish in Klang
Blood and Mayhem Against Kg Rimba Settlers
Indian Temple Demolition and Chaos: Mainstream Media Silence
Shah Alam temple demolished and media blackout
Shah Alam temple demolishment details
The Police Must Be Crazy
What lies behind City Hall’s brutalities?
The Demise of the Malaysian Indian Voice
Deepavali and Bulan Syawal Destruction
An article from The Jakarta Post about relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia.
The article is biased in some sense, but lots of the things mentioned are fact. Their influx of illegal immigrants have caused some social issues for us, but on the other hand Malaysians in general are not treating our foreign labours with dignity.
To make it worse not only the workers that were discriminated recently, but visitors and students were harassed as well.
The author in the end suggested that Indonesian will have to resolve to military might to win Malaysia’s respect… it sounds radical but mind that Malaysia is upgrading our military force as well with the recent purchase of the submarine and fighter jets.
It would be stupid though, if these 2 countries get into war for these matters.
Ex-ISA detainee Abdul Malek Hussin won a rare law suit against the government over his arrest and torture in 1998, and was awarded RM2.5 million in damages. [Malaysiakini]
I am not sure how the judge has made his call; is the compensation meant for the violence against Abdul Malek, or that the arrest itself is deemed unlawful?
I wonder if there will be any further action against those police officers that were involved in the case. They have committed a crime; monetary compensation is not enough to pay for what they did.
Besides, it is the tax payers, people like us that are going to pay the money. The police lost nothing beside their dented reputation, and we have to pay for the crime that they committed. Quite ridiculous ain’t so?