URGENT situation in Malaysia

nov 25th, 2007

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mihir Meghani, M.D. [HAF]

Dear Friends, I would like to update you on the delicate situation in Malaysia in the hope that you will cover this story.

 

URGENT NEWS: (See links and 3 articles below). The leadership of the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) was arrested Friday morning for attempting to organize a rally in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday. This group has worked with HAF on human rights, and their leader Waytha Moorthy and I met in DC after our DC days program and met with Professor Ramesh Rao (HAF's Research Fellow and Human Rights Coordinator). As documented in HAF's 3^rd Annual Human Rights Report (http://hafsite.org/pdf/HHR2006.pdf), Hindus in Malaysia have been facing a variety of problems including destruction of temples and violation of rights to cremation and conversion to Hinduism. While temple destruction has been ongoing, recently a major temple was destroyed and was reported in our most recent press release (http://hafsite.org/media_press_release_malaysia_temples.htm ). Waytha Moorthy filed lawsuit under British law asking for compensation from the British Govt for failing to protect the rights of its former citizens – the Hindus of Malaysia. This Sunday, HINDRAF had planned a peaceful rally outside the British High Commission to draw attention to the human rights problems and to the British government for not acting on behalf of its former colonial citizens. The Malaysian government Friday morning in Malaysia arrested the Hindraf leaders and have blocked roads into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, to prevent the rally from taking place and to scare people away from protesting.

 

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/23/nation/20071123193219&sec=nation

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2090344/Article/index_html

http://sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=20061

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75216

http://policewatchmalaysia.com/

 

 

Here are the contacts you need for discussing the situation of Hindus in Malaysia this weekend for Sanatana Dharma Radio out of Dallas:

1)      Ramesh Rao, Ph.D; Hindu American Foundation Research Fellow and Coordinator-Human Rights Campaign; cell (434) 607-5581, email ramesh@hafsite.org

2)      Uthaykumar is a lawyer with HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) and brother of HINDRAF leader Waytha Moorthy. He was arrested on Friday and released on nail. Uthayakumar home 60-320945604, cell 60133504711, work 60322825622, fax 60322825616, email uth@tm.net.my and pr_im@hotmail.com; website http://policewatchmalaysia.com/

 

WHAT HAS HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION DONE IN THE PAST FEW DAYS:

1)      HAF's press release issued prior to the arrests is on the web and was sent to our media list on Wednesday night

2)      HAF's letters to the Malaysian Prime Minister and Inspector General of Police was faxed and/or emailed

a.       to them Wednesday night

b.      to the foreign offices of the UK, US and Indian govt in Malaysia, as well as the UK and Indian embassies in the US, and the Malaysian embassy and consulates in the US on Wednesday night

c.       to all the Human Rights Watch offices and to Amnesty Intl in London late Thursday night

d.      to Lawyers Without Borders on Friday morning

3)      HAF is contacting US government officials, but it is a holiday from November 21-25.

 

Thanks,

Mihir Meghani, M.D.

President, Hindu American Foundation

www.HAFsite.org

cell 510-396-2745

FOR URGENT EMAILS: mihir.meghani@gmail.com

 

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75130

 

Nov 22, 07 4:00pm

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has urged Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan to allow the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) gathering to proceed on Sunday.  The Maryland-based human rights group said Malaysian police should stop the campaign of intimidation and threat against Malaysian Hindus. "The Malaysian government restricts freedom of peaceful assembly and association in contrary to Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, and the application (for a permit) has been arbitrarily rejected by the police," it noted. The thousands expected at the rally on Sunday will be forced to assemble illegally at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur if their appeal to KL police chief Zul Hasnan Najib Baharuddin for a permit is rejected. Cheras police chief Ahmad Amir Mohd Hashim rejected the initial application on grounds that it had been made by an individual, rather than by the organisation.  Under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967, any application for a permit to assemble in a public place must made by an organisation or jointly by three individuals. The police also stated their doubt as to whether the applicant would be able to control the crowd, and claimed that the gathering could disrupt traffic as well as law and order. The gathering is expected to attract 10,000 people to hand over a petition to the Queen of England to support a class-action suit against the British government for bringing Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers and exploiting them for 150 years.  The quantum being sought is US$4 trillion (RM14 trillion) - or US$2 million for every Indian currently residing in Malaysia. 'Stop temple demolitions' HAF has also urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to issue orders to stop temple demolitions and to set up a high-level committee to deal with issues relating to land occupied by such structures. "We note that the Hindu population has faced increased discrimination and intimidation including the destruction of temples and placed of worship in the past," HAF said in the same statement. "The government has continued to treat pre-independence era Hindu temples differently than mosques in the same era and has given preference to mosques in the allocation of public funds and lands." HAF was referring to the demolition of the century-old Maha Mariamman temple in Padang Jawa, Selangor, on Oct 30, by the Shah Alam City Council. This was part of an exercise to tear down a squatter colony in Kampung Rimba Jaya.  A violent stand off ensued when Hindu devotees tried to stop the demolition, resulting in 14 devotees being arrested. They were later released, while the state government has identified an alternate site to rebuild the temple. This was the latest in a series of temple demolitions by the Selangor government, causing much frustration and a sense of dejection among the Indian Malaysian community.

 

 

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75165

 

Soon Li Tsin Nov 23, 07 11:13am

Lawyer P Uthayakumar was arrested this morning under the Sedition Act and taken to the Shah Alam district police headquarters. Uthayakumar was arrested at his legal firm in Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur at about 10.30am , said the lawyer's employee K Vasan. "He was arrested under the Sedition Act. Five police officers from IPK Shah Alam picked him up," he said. On Monday, the police had raided Uthayakumar's law office in Kuala Lumpur with a warrant, in search of a publication deemed to be seditious in content. Five police officers conducted a search of his office, while about 10 officers searched another office operated by his brother and Hindraf chairperson Waythamoorthy in Seremban, Negri Sembilan. While the police left Uthayakumar's office empty handed, they were said to have seized certain documents from Wathyamoorthy's office. The brothers are key activists in the planning of a mass rally on Sunday, which has been banned by the police. The rally is organised by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), in which Uthayakumar serves as legal adviser. Hindraf plans to gather 10,000 Indians to hand a memorandum addressed to the Queen of England to support a class-action suit against Her Majesty's government for bringing Indians to Malaysia as indentured labourers and exploiting them for 150 years. A total of US$4 trillion (RM14 trillion) is being sought for US$2 million for every Indian residing in Malaysia. Restraining order Prior to the arrest, the police had gone to Uthayakumar's house in Bangsar to serve him with a restraining order against participating in the rally. The order, obtained from the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court, restrains Uthayakumar, Waythamoorthy, lawyers M Mahonaran, S Ganapathy, R Kengadharan and all Hindraf supporters from participating in the gathering, on grounds that the rally could endanger the public. When contacted, Manoharan said he too has been served with the order which prevents him and the others from going to the British High Commission for seven days beginning on Nov 22. "The notice was served on me at 7.50am today. The order was made under Section 98 of the Criminal Procedure Code by the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court," he said. Section 98 grants the court powers to issue an immediate order in urgent cases of potential nuisance. According to Manoharan, the application for the restraining order was made by the Cheras police station and served on him by officers from police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. He said he will be making the necessary application to set aside the court order. Manoharan was one of four lawyers - the others being Uthayakumar, Waythamoorthy and S Ganabathi Rao - arrested in Kampung Rimba Jaya in Padang Jawa, near Shah Alam, during a fracas surrounding the demolition of a century-old Hindu temple on Oct 31. They were later released.

 

 

 

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75216

 

Hindraf trio freed on bail

Soon Li Tsin Nov 23, 07 7:07pm

Three Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders who were to be charged with sedition at the Klang Sessions Court this afternoon, managed to walk free on technical grounds.

The trio, who were not charged today, were granted bail set at RM800 per person by judge Zumaidah Mohd Idris.

However, Hindraf chairperson and lawyer P Waythamoorty refused to post bail as a mark of protest against the 'police being used by the government'.

He will be detained by the police until Monday and had vowed to go on a hunger strike. He was reportedly sent to Sungai Buloh prison.

However, his brother and Hindraf legal adviser Uthayakumar and another Hindraf lawyer, Ganapathy Rao, posted bail. Nevertheless, all three will be back in court on Monday to be formally charged.

Some 2,000 supporters, who were cheering throughout the proceeding, mobbed the duo as they walked out of the court building at about 6.45pm.

At press time, the supporters garlanded the duo and hoisted Uthayakumar on their shoulders and are holding a procession through the streets in Klang, bringing traffic in the surrounding areas to a halt.

A truckload of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel had been dispatched to the area.

The group marched to a nearby temple, where Uthayakumar gave a speech urging them to come to the rally on Sunday before dispersing.

Amend charge

Earlier in court, Zumaidah instructed the deputy public prosecutor to amend the charge and put off the hearing to Monday.

The trio were to be charged under Section 4 (1B) of the Sedition Act based on police investigations pertaining to reports lodged against them in relation to their speeches made at a recent forum in Batang Berjuntai, Selangor.

DPP Ishak Yusuff had argued in court that their whole speeches were seditious.

However, the trio's counsel M Manoharan pointed out that according to the charge sheet, only one word in the speeches was seditious.

The judge also pointed out that the particular seditious word was not highlighted in the charge sheet.

Apart from Manoharan, the trio were also represented by A Sivanesan and N Surendran. Lawyer Amer Hamzah held a watching brief for the Bar Council.

Waythamoorthy, Uthayakumar and Ganapathy were arrested earlier today at separate locations ahead of a mass rally planned by Hindraf outside the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

In a SMS to Malaysiakini this evening, Waythamoorthy described the incident as a "conspiracy by the state."

"I am going in (to jail) as a protest. This whole saga is a state conspiracy. It's not too late, they (the authorities) can still issue a permit for Sunday," he said.