The Hindu - news

Sunday, February 17, 2008

The Hindu- News on Roses to PM in M'sia
Hindraf protest thwartedP. S. SuryanarayanaKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Saturday quelled a protest “walk” organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force at a number of places here.In a dramatic show of force, the police fired teargas and targeted water cannon at several hundred ethnic Indians, who assembled for a “roses campaign” demanding justice while offering flowers as a gesture to the authorities.Following an overnight ban on this “campaign,” Hindraf abandoned its original plan of staging a short “walk” towards the Parliament House, with children in the vanguard and carrying roses for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi.Vwaishhnnavi, five-year-old daughter of the self-exiled Hindraf chairman P. Waytha Moorthy, was designated to lead the “walk” and greet the Prime Minister. Under guidance, she had earlier written a letter requesting him to accept such an offer.In the final act on this day of “state power,” Hindraf followers raised an hour-long chorus of slogans about “people power” at a Vinayaka temple in the heart of the city, even as a lone woman walked up to a riot-control officer there and handed him a yellow rose. Another police officer was seen declining a similar offer even as Hindraf supporters began cheering her. The standoff near the shrine passed off without the police using water cannon that was on stand-by.Hindraf urges ethnic Indians to vote against Badawi’s political groupingP. S. SuryanarayanaPolice cite “security concerns” for banning protest rallyKUALA LUMPUR: The National Coordinator of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), Thanenthiran Ramankutty, on Saturday asked the ethnic Indians in Malaysia to vote against the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, that had “failed” and “insulted” them.A mid-term general election is due on March 8; and Saturday’s police-aborted campaign was a sequel to Hindraf’s mass protest rally here last November against a half-century of “marginalisation” of the people of Indian origin since independence.Mr. Thanenthiran, who made a surprise appearance at a temple in the heart of the city where the ethnic Indians had gathered for a protest, later told The Hindu that he was now “on the run” under police surveillance.He said almost all of Hindraf’s provincial coordinators and national leader such as Manickavasagam and Jayathas were among 300 activists and supporters arrested on Saturday.Five top Hindraf leaders are already under detention without trial under the Internal Security Act.The Malaysian police on Friday banned the “roses campaign” by describing as “a security concern” Hindraf’s original plan to deploy nearly 200 children as the star contingent of a “walk” to Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.These children, it was said, were being put in harm’s way in a game of testing the political will of the authorities to maintain law and order.Another reason cited was Malaysia’s political “norm” of not allowing street protest of any kind, be it by the majority Malay-Muslims or ethnic Chinese or the people of Indian origin.It was also stated that Hindraf, being a non-registered organisation, was not entitled to any permission for public events, more so of the protest kind.The police-aborted “walk” to the Parliament House was planned to “test” Mr. Badawi’s attitude towards his ethnic Indian compatriots, according to Hindraf sources.Yellow roses were selected by Hindraf to be presented to the authorities to convey its demand for a “fair deal” for the ethnic Indians. Red roses signified the colour of choice for “goodwill” towards the Prime Minister, and these were to have been carried by the children. Following the ban, Hindraf, according to its events coordinator Kannan Ramasamy decided against deploying children.The first scene of street-side political action on Saturday was near the Parliament House. Hindraf said police chased away nearly 200 adult protesters who attempted to break the series of barricades along the routes to Parliament House.Hindraf supporters raised aloft posters demanding the abolition of the Internal Security Act and the release of the group’s top leaders — P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganapati Rao, M. Manoharan, R. Kengadharan, and T. Vasanthakumar.“People power [Makkal Sakthi]” slogans and chants in celebration of Hindraf rent the air throughout the standoff.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 4:43 AM
Saturday, February 16, 2008

Roses To PM in M'sia - BBC Report

Malaysian police break up protestThe protesters carried roses to symbolise peaceful demandsProtest scenes Malaysian security forces have used tear gas and water cannon to break up a protest by ethnic Indians in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
More than 20 people taking part in the banned march were detained by police.The demonstration was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force, which is demanding the release from jail of five of its leaders.
Activists say policies granting economic advantages to the ethnic Malay majority discriminate against Indians.The Malaysia government has rejected claims of unequal treatment.
Detention without trialSome 2000 protesters defied a ban on public gatherings, and carried roses to symbolise what they said was a peaceful demand for justice.A heavy police presence kept them in the city centre - preventing their planned march to parliament to give the flowers to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi.The protest was meant to be led by a group of about 200 children. There were no reports of any children being injured.Police used water canons thought to be laced with chemicals and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The group behind the demonstration has become increasingly effective at rattling the government, says the BBC's Robin Brant in Kuala Lumpur.It was behind a large demonstration on the streets of the capital last November which saw 10,000 people gather.
That rally exposed increasing unhappiness among some of Malaysia's minority Indians who feel they have fallen behind after decades of government policy which gives preferential treatment to the majority Malays, our correspondent says.
Five rights activists were arrested at that rally - the biggest protest involving ethnic Indians in more than a decade.They are being held under a rarely used security law that allows indefinite detention without trial.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 5:28 AM

Roses to Msian PM - Police react brutally against peaceful gathering


from Malaysiakini.com
200 nabbed at rose protestSyed Jaymal Zahiid Feb 16, 08 11:33am
Police fired teargas and chemical-laced water cannons in a bid to disperse some 300 Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters gathered for a peaceful rose handing-over ceremony at Jalan Raja Laut early this morning.
The Hindraf event was initially scheduled to be held at Parliament gates where 200 children were to hand over roses as a peaceful gesture requesting that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to heed the group’s 18-point demands.
News that roads leading to Parliament were closed to prevent the group from going there then led them to change the venue to Jalan Raja Laut in the city centre.According to Hindraf acting leader S Thanenthiran who was present at the gathering, about 200 people have been arrested including Hindraf’s rose campaign coordinator S Manickavasagam and popular blogger B Mahendran.
Women and children were among those detained.Witnesses also claimed that police had aggressively manhandled a women with her child when they wanted to arrest her.
"The woman was crying aloud because the police forced her to leave her child when she was arrested," said Mahendran who later informed Malaysiakini of the woman’s condition through his mobile phone.
Detained at roadblocksThanenthiran added that almost two thirds of them were detained prior to the gathering at roadblocks set up along the routes leading to the city. They are being held at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur.
There were heavy police and riot squads presence in Jalan Raja Laut. Four water cannon trucks were stationed along the route leading to Parliament.It is learnt that the police have been stationed at key areas pertaining to the gathering since last night. Roadblocks were also set up at various key routes leading into the city."The police outnumbered the crowd in three folds. I saw several of them firing teargas canisters to the peaceful crowd. Why is there a need to fire that many teargas canisters when one is strong enough (to disperse the crowd)," said a tourist who happened to be in the area.
After the teargas and water cannons were fired, the crowd were chased by some 40 plainclothes policemen. They then retreated into the Masjid India area.The dispersed crowd then walked in small separate groups towards the Court Malai Pillayar Temple in Jalan Pudu where another stand- off occurred between Hindraf supporters and the police.
At this point, ten people were arrested while seeking shelter in the temple. Three more were later nabbed while making their way to the KL Remand Centre in Jalan Hang Tuah to show support to some Hindraf members who were detained last night.
By this time, the crowd had dispersed and small groups made their way to Pulapol to show support to those detained. According to A Sivanesan who is the group’s legal adviser, lawyers have been sent to Pulapol to ensure that detainees get proper legal help.
Mahendran, who was arrested near the Masjid Jamek area, had managed to contact Malaysiakini through his mobile phone and said that the "police are taking people in batches for questioning"
Police reaction unnecessarySelf-exiled Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy in a statement issued immediately after learning of the arrests said he was extremely disturbed by the manner in which the police handled the matter.
"Peaceful struggle, gesture of Love and cry for justice of the poor and underclass Indian society has been met with violence and brutality by the state sanctioned by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The attack on peaceful poor and underclass people who came with roses is appalling,
"I invite all peace loving people throughout the world to condemn this brutal attack on innocent citizens who were exercising their rights under Article 10 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution and Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he said.
Police have declared today’s event illegal as no permit was given to the group.
Watch video here.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 5:08 AM

Ex DPM,Anwar criticises govt over peace rose rally crackdown

Anwar criticises gov't over rally crackdownAFP Feb 17, 08 3:20pm
Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim today criticised the authorities for using water cannon and teargas against ethnic Indians protesting against alleged discrimination.Saturday's rally was the latest in a series of street demonstrations that have rocked this multicultural nation as political parties manoeuvre to win the hearts and minds of voters ahead of general election on March 8.More than 300 people defied a police ban, gathering in downtown Kuala Lumpur to present roses to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and protest against alleged discrimination before police fired tear gas and water cannon to break up the rally."This is clearly a police state," Anwar told AFP."I mean a group marching peacefully to present flowers to the prime minister, what kind of treatment did the government give to these people?" he asked."It was very high-handed," said the de facto opposition leader.Police detained 160 people in scuffles during the rally and later outside a Hindu temple nearby, the capital's police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman told the official Bernama news agency.Protester abusedMost have since been released but lawyers claimed a female protester - one of nine who are being held till Monday - was abused in custody."While being detained, she said she was beaten up by the police," lawyer Gobind Singh, who is representing the nine, told AFP."Although she was in pain, she did not receive any medical treatment," he added."These are not hardened criminals, they are normal people and should not have to face such violence at the hands of the police while in detention," said Singh, who is contesting as an opposition candidate in the upcoming polls.The protest comes after the detention of five leaders of the Indian rights group Hindraf who enraged the government in November by leading a rally protesting at alleged discrimination against Indians.The protest highlighted the grievances of Malaysia's Indians - descendents of labourers brought over by British colonial rulers in the 1800s - who say they are marginalised in terms of education, wealth and opportunities.Ethnic Indians make up seven percent of Malaysia's 27 million population with Malay Muslims forming 60 percent and ethnic Chinese 26 percent.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 3:39 AM
Sunday, February 17, 2008

Rose Campaign - Global Peace Campaign supporting Msian Indians

from Malaysiakini.com
Rose violence: Global demo against M'siaFeb 17, 08 1:37pm
Indians across the world demonstrated outside the offices of Malaysian embassies and high commissions on Saturday to condemn the government and police, hours after tear gas and water cannons were fired in Kuala Lumpur at people bringing flowers to persuade Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to release five Hindraf leaders from detention.The demonstrations – which took place almost simultaneously in New York, Los Angeles, London, Belgium, Northern Island, Indonesia, New Zealand, New Delhi and Mumbai – were believed to be the first internationally-coordinated action in support of the Indian cause in Malaysia.Although there were no more than a few dozen people protesting in each of the cities, their action underlined the growing disgust among Indians all over the world at Abdullah and his police force, said organisers who e-mailed Malaysiakini with details and pictures of the demonstrations.
Videos were also posted on YouTube.
"Which sicko of a prime minister would allow his police to fire tear gas and chemical-laced water at people trying to bring him flowers?" asked Anantha Paskaran, one of those who led the demonstration outside the Malaysian Consulate General's office in New York."We talk about the Soviet Union, Chechnya and Burma when it comes to human rights violations," said Anantha. "What about this so-called moderate Muslim country Malaysia? It has a police force than can rival the Gestapo and KGB".
On Saturday, Malaysian police used teargas and water cannons to disperse about 300 Hindu Rights Action Force supporters who had gathered along Jalan Raja Laut to hand Abdullah hundreds of roses.Calling it a "rose protest", Hindraf had said it wanted to give the flowers to the premier, asking him, among others, to release the five Hindraf leaders held under the Internal Security Act.
The plan was initially to get a group of children to hand over the roses to Abdullah at Parliament. That, however, fell through when police blockaded roads leading to Parliament, forcing the supporters to group at Jalan Raja Laut instead.The police eventually arrested about 200 people and released all but nine whom they said defied repeated orders to disperse.Abdullah, in an immediate reaction, labelled Hindraf as group of "extremists" out to disrupt general elections scheduled on March 8.
Anantha said it was "most laughable" for the premier to link the incident with the upcoming polls in Malaysia."In what way can the Indians in Malaysia disrupt the electoral process that's underway? They are minorities, marginalised in every sense of the word, and don't even have enough resource to fend for themselves, let alone disrupt a national election," he said.
The 51-year-old former Malaysian-turned-US citizen who runs a financial consultancy in Queens, New York, also appeared to pre-empt any possible remark by Abdullah that Indians outside of Malaysia had no business with what was happening in the country."For the prime minister's information, I still have family members in Malaysia and they are paying income taxes too, so I have every right to speak on their behalf," Anantha said.
He said the weather in New York was below 32 degrees Farenheit (0 degrees Celcius) on Saturday and those who turned up outside the Consulate General's office in Manhattan, including women and children, braved icy winds for nearly 2 hours. "We were freezing on the outside but we were burning on the inside at what's happening to our fellow Indians in Malaysia," Anantha said.
Pictures received by Malaysiakini showed demonstrators carrying placards such as "Malaysia, Provide Equal Opportunity and Equal Treatment for All" and "All Malaysians, Act Now or Lose Your Freedom, Your Rights and Your Identity Forever."In New York, demonstrators even brought a mock coffin for MIC President S Samy Vellu, who has been fiercely criticised for failing the Indian community. A sign above the coffin read: "Samy Vellu – Traitor of Indian Malaysians, R.I.P. (Rest In Peace)." (photo above)
In another interesting picture, five people also wore cut-out pictures of the faces of the five detained Hindraf leaders, holding up their wrists in a symbolic sign of incarceration.A big shamAnd not all those who participated in the foreign demonstrations were Indians of Malaysian origin.
Fiona Lee (photo), an ethnic Chinese from Malaysia, said in comments to Malaysiakini that she decided to join the protest in New York "because these are issues affecting all Malaysians.""To me, the marginalisation of the Indian community is very real," said the 25-year-old, who has lived in the United States for seven years now and is pursuing a doctorate in English at the City University of New York. "I grew up in Cheras and I belonged to a church group that used to visit Indian slums where the children had little access to education, food and even clothing," Lee said. "To say they are being equally treated is the biggest sham.
"There were no officials from the Malaysian Consulate General's office in New York to receive ay memorandums from the protesters. However several officials were seen snapping photographs of the protesting crowd.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 7:23 AM

PM is a "extremist" not hindraf

PM labelled Hindraf as "extremist" !!
Abdullah lashes out at 'extremist' HindrafFeb 16, 08 9:44pmPrime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today labelled the Hindu Rights Action Force as an extremist group which aimed to disrupt the general election.According to a Bernama report today, Abdullah said that Hindraf’s illegal assembly in Kuala Lumpur this morning was an attempt to raise fear in the people and disrupt the polls which would be held on March 8."People who disrupt the elections do not respect the democratic process. When there is disorder, the people do not come out to vote for fear of getting caught in fights," he said after attending a function in Yan, Kedah.This morning the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse about 300 Hindraf supporters who had gathered along Jalan Raja Laut to hand in roses to Abdullah.Calling it the rose protest, Hindraf had wanted to give the flower to the premier, asking him, among others, to release the five Hindraf leaders presently held under the Internal Security Act.The police arrested about 200 people, of which all but nine were released later in the day. The nine are held overnight on a one-day remand for failing to disperse despite repeated request by the police.Commenting on the gathering, which had been declared illegal by the police yesterday, Abdullah said the action of the Hindraf supporters was not a culture of Malaysians who loved peace.He added that the people would definitely not agree with such action aimed at creating chaos in the country.He also did not rule out the possibility of the Hindraf supporters resorting to blockade roads to prevent people from going to the polls.Use of children condemnedOn the use of children in the illegal assembly, the prime minister said it was most regrettable as the children's safety was put at risk."We regret that they (Hindraf supporters) use children to bring pressure to bear on their demands. This is not the way. The action endangers the children," he said.He also said that the authorities would not hesitate to use provisions of the legislation on child protection on those using children at such assemblies.Meanwhile Hindraf’s national coordinator R Thanenthiran said that he was disappointed with the police action as well as with Abdullah.A highly-charged Thanenthiran told reporters that Abdullah should not be claiming to be representing the needs and welfare of all races in this country."We wanted to have 200 children to peacefully give Abdullah flowers but we were tear-gassed and water-cannoned by police," he said.Thanenthiran also said organisers decided it was unsafe for the children to take part in the protest and they were bused away from the scene.http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/15467.htmlComments from blog,I wonder how he could relate the peace rose rally as extremist and disturbing the coming soon election process. For his information, since he keep forgetting that we had 2 personal invitations to join the rose campaign, this peace rose campaign were planne weeks ahead before the polls date were decided !!People and children whom came with a stake of rose are extremist ??Than what shall we call the police whom were brutal to women and men gathered to show LOVE to PM ?Dear PM, please do what have you been claiming as PM for all race. Please listen to the 70% poor, depressed, oppressed and systematically marginalized Malaysian Indian cry for justice and love.HINDRAF is an ahimsa movemant and it always bid to these practice.Please stop labelling HINDRAF as extremist as even the previous label as terrorist also were not proved and you had let all the govt mights against HINDRAF.Thanks
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 3:47 AM

VOICE FROM OTHER MEDIA

Voice from other media about Roses to PM campaign
What other Media are Saying on Roses Campaign???Mon, 18/02/2008 - 09:47 — ds.gophekar.raajsource by MakalVoice.comPolice sprayed water and fired tear gas after the crowd ignored warnings to disperse. At least 20 people, including a Hindraf leader S Manikavasagam, were detained on Saturday, said a police official, who declined to be named citing protocol. - by Sify NewsWith the Malaysian government concerned about street protests in the run-up to early general elections on March 8, around 100 policemen, including riot police with helmets and shields, turned out to disperse a gathering of about 300 men, women and children. - by ReutersA heavy police presence kept them in the city centre - preventing their planned march to parliament to give the flowers to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi. - by BBCBarricades were set up along main roads leading to Parliament but more than 200 people managed to gather nearby Saturday shouting "Long Live Hindraf" and "We want our rights." - by CNNAbout 130 people, including one on the police wanted list, were arrested but most of them were released after their particulars were taken down. Only nine, including two women, all aged between 35 and 40, were remanded for repeatedly defying police instructions to disperse. by NSTSince Friday about 60 people, including two leaders of Hindraf who organised the protest, have been detained in a police crackdown, said N Surendran, a lawyer and Hindraf member. - by Al Jazeera"It is an embarrassing attack on the Indian community and on people who just wanted to hand over flowers to the prime minister," said R. Thanenthiran, one of the rally organisers. - by ChannelNewsAsiaIt was the first public gathering by the Hindu Rights Action Force since police used tear gas and water cannon to crush a Nov. 25 demonstration by at least 20,000 ethnic Indians in Kuala Lumpur. - by MSNBCsource by MakalVoice.com
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 4:42 AM

More comments from other blogs on roses to PM Campaign

More comments from other blogs on Roses to PM Campaign
February 16, 2008 at 10:49 pm · Filed under Hindraf, Unnecsessary fearSurprises, surprises and surprises. What a tragedy. A Prime Minister wailing that Hindraf is extremist. Before going further, MIC and its President Samy Vellu, submitted 7 proposals to the Government to improve the lot of the Indians. They were not termed as extremists. Perhaps Hindraf has 18 points, more in number and more complete proposals, if they had reduced it to less than 18 can they be referred to as another extension of MIC.How can a small group disrupt the elections, is there some special indication that they were going to it. We have had many rallies in Kuala Lumpur, from November last. The latest one was by Bersih, and were they too, planning to disrupt elections. Frankly speaking, none of the rallies have raised fear in the people, contrary the Police have instilled fear in the people, that causes them to shiver in their pants, realising any group gathering can bring on chemical lazed water and tear gas. What a friend tells me any Police in vehicles rushing through the roads causes panic and discomfort to the people in Kuala Lumpur. Who created this.You wail the democratic process, has been jeopardised, did the group that gathered had no democracy to speak of, they were just trying to give flowers to indicate their innocence in gathering and also to send the message please release the 5 Hindraf chaps in Kamunting. You could have received the flowers and said thank you for their gestures and thereafter decide on the ISA victims. This you did not do.Disorders or orders the people will come out to vote, the general consensus being the ruling government must have their tails clipped. There is no way you can bring to the attention of problems to the Government unless you rally and gain attention. If the many letters by Hindraf were attended to, suitable replies given and action taken, do you think the people are stupid to rally and get arrested.How many fights were recorded in the number of rallies held. The only sad point was people lazed with chemical water, tear gassed and dragged away by force by the Police. Did any thought was given to this.Rallies are resorted to when the Government does not listen. Why must Bersih disturb the Agong if their grouses were attended to. Why must Hindraf gather a group if their grouses were the least, listened to and action/or no action was taken. Our Malaysian culture is slowing changing, Government does not listen, and the other alternative way is to gather and draw attention. By doing so, the Government gets rattled and action is taken. Remember Thaipusam holiday, will it come about without the Hindraf rally.One relevant point, today was not election day, and whatever action taken by the group will not affect the polls on March 8.This is just my preamble. R Thanenthiran has explained other things well I believe.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 4:54 AM

hindraf blog

An exprience shared by a HINDRAF supporter (blog writers)
taken from http://www.roses4pm.blogspot.com/JD says: This morning at 8.00pm B.Mahendran (Bolehland), Raaja (Raajarox) and I left my house and headed towards the DBKL building at Jalan Raja Laut to meet up with Seelan (Singapore) for the Campaign of Roses gathering.The roses were to be handed by children to the Prime Minister at the Parliament House. However this was not possible as the police had cordoned off the entire area. It was decided that the handing over of roses would be done at the Suhakam office which is near the DBKL building.As the crowd began to gather, even though they were well behaved and civilized the police open fire with numerous rounds of tear gas and dye laced water on everyone. It was a good think that the leaders were able to anticipate that the police were going to react and asked that the children be quickly taken away from the area.Seelan was sprayed and had to change his shirt as it was soiled by the dye, his hands too were all green from it. We then proceeded to the Majid Jamek LRT area as we received SMS that the group was gathering at Dataran Merdeka.As the Dataran Merdeka area was blocked by FRU we had to make do of being around the LRT area. I saw the FRU and plain clothed police behaving very aggressively and abusively toward any Malaysian Indian standing around the area.They were targeting individuals for arrest and had arrested a number of them. I personally saw two policemen push a man who was in an orange ‘MAKKAL SAKTI’ t-shirt on to the road and handcuffing him when he wasn’t even resisting. They treated him worst then an animal, at that point I thought to myself as Malaysian Indians this is the kind of respect we have in this country that we call home. In their eyes we are equal or worst then animals.At that moment, a plain clothed policeman was shouting to disperse and moving fast towards me. I immediately asked Raaja to move forward and turned around to get Mahendran to follow us. It was not to be as I saw two policemen grab Mahendran and dragged him away from us.Raaja and I stayed in contact with Mahendran thru SMS and learned that he was being taken to PULAPOL(Police Training Centre). I immediately contacted lawyer Mohan who told me that legal counsels are being sent to PULAPOL to see to the legal needs of those arrested.Knowing that was all we could do for Mahendran for the time being, Raaja and I made our way to Court Pillayar Temple in the Pudu Raya area as we heard that the crowd was gathering there. When we arrived there, the crowd of around 1000 was shouting “Hindraf Valga” “Makkal Sakti Valga” when two trucks of FRU personnel arrived at the scene.There was a stand off between the crowd and the police for around an hour where a few Hindraf leaders gave some speech on the current situation and requested that we continue the struggle and not give it up for any reason until our demands are met. Everyone was asked to disperse in an orderly fashion to which everyone complied.I seriously feel that the government is being intolerant and extremely harsh by using unnecessary force from the police when we can clearly see that the Malaysian Indians were totally non violent in requesting for our rights. Would it hurt to talk to us nicely and hear our grouses?We were loyal to the BN government for years, is this how we are repaid for our loyalty? The BN government failed to realize that as a race the Malaysian Indians are the most loyal to them without asking for much in return.As Raaja and I were leaving the area, I met Carol who has been a reader of my blog and who has kept me informed of various Hindraf activities. She was with her mother and I was so proud to see their commitment towards the Malaysian Indian cause. She introduced me to her brother who told me that they would be going to the Lock up Kuala Lumpur (former Pudu Jail) to protest the arrest of some group leaders. It is Malaysian Indians like these that give us hope for a brighter future.When we arrived the Lock Up Kuala Lumpur area we found it totally secured by FRU personnel and it was then that I was informed by Carol that it would be better for us to move to PULAPOL to give support to all those who were arrested. We informed Seelan to meet us there and took a cab to PULAPOL.We checked with Mahendran and he informed us that he is being made to wait for statements to be taken and it would take sometime and we assured him that we and many others are waiting outside.I noticed buses loaded with Malaysian Indian passengers being driven into PULAPOL compound to have their particulars and statements recorded as to why they are in Kuala Lumpur. What kind of nonsense is this in a supposedly democratic country like Malaysia?This is a blatant disregard of Human Rights and it is a shame that Malaysia is a country in the United Nations that endorsed The Human Rights Charter.While waiting for Mahendran to be released we walked over to the Medan Selera opposite PULAPOL for a drink and were informed the Jayathas was just arrested there as he sat down for a drink. We then joined a number of Malaysian Indians who were there to give support.I was very pleased to have met these people who showed that all of us feel discriminated in our own country and that we are not treated fairly even though we have contributed so much in building this nation. Everyone I spoke to said they are standing up today so that our coming generations can have a better future. This is the true problem that the BN government should address instead of trying to squash the uprising as illegal and criminal.I felt very emotional to know and see that we Malaysian Indians are more so united and we have ever been before and sincerely one can feel the difference walking anywhere these days.Malaysian Indians acknowledge each other better and are much more willing to lend a helping hand to each other. The spirit of solidarity has begun. We achieved this without any government program or MIC propaganda, this came from our hearts and souls.We remain there talking to people who came and went until Mahendran was released at 5.45pm. Everyone had a long and tiring day and had to part in our separate ways. I said my goodbyes to Mahendran, Raaja, Seelan and his friend before making my way home.Even though it was a harrowing day and I was really tired it felt good to know that by standing up today maybe one day my child and her child will benefit from all this.To all the new friends that I met and for all the conversations and ideas that we shared I thank you for having the mind set that we can all make a change for the better if we are united in our stand.To my new brothers and sister Kartik,Suresh,Mohan,Kannan,Raja Bt.Caves,Sakthi,Ashok and Carol a big thank you from me to all of you for having the courage to stand up and make your voices heard. I hope to see all of you again real soon.Until then Valga Makkal Sakti!
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 5:08 AM

hindraf rose

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

More Youtube links on Roses to PM.
Youtube links related to ROSES to PM Campaign worldwide.Hindraf Rose - No Freedom to Protest in Malaysia -Part 1 Hindraf "Rose" - No Freedom to Protest in Malaysia-Part 2HINDRAF ROSE RALLY-16/02/08 Perhimpunan HINDRAF Parlimen 16 FEB 2008hindraf rose rally 16feb 08 HINDRAF ROSE RALLY Part 2 hindraf rose rally 16feb 08 Hindraf - in tamilHindraf Rose Campaign 1Hindraf Rose Campaign 2---------------------------------------------------------Clips from Overseashindraf london rose campaign 1hindraf london rose campaign 2hindraf london 3HINDRAF RALLY IN NEW YORK 1Hindraf Roses Rally in Los Angeles (Feb 16, 08)Vaalge HINDRAF !!Nandri to all the clips contributors.Pls do upload all other clips of this event to youtube and name as "HINDRAF Rose Campaign #" or sent to me at email krsna4u2@gmail.com
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 8:55 AM
Monday, February 18, 2008

Rose violence

Rose violence: Global demo against M'sia
Sun, 17/02/2008 - 14:03 — admin
[via malaysiakini.com]Feb 17, 08 1:37pmIndians across the world demonstrated outside the offices of Malaysian embassies and high commissions on Saturday to condemn the government and police, hours after tear gas and water cannons were fired in Kuala Lumpur at people bringing flowers to persuade Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to release five Hindraf leaders from detention.
The demonstrations – which took place almost simultaneously in New York, Los Angeles, London, Belgium, Northern Island, Indonesia, New Zealand, New Delhi and Mumbai – were believed to be the first internationally-coordinated action in support of the Indian cause in Malaysia.
Although there were no more than a few dozen people protesting in each of the cities, their action underlined the growing disgust among Indians all over the world at Abdullah and his police force, said organisers who e-mailed Malaysiakini with details and pictures of the demonstrations. Videos were also posted on YouTube.
"Which sicko of a prime minister would allow his police to fire tear gas and chemical-laced water at people trying to bring him flowers?" asked Anantha Paskaran, one of those who led the demonstration outside the Malaysian Consulate General's office in New York.
"We talk about the Soviet Union, Chechnya and Burma when it comes to human rights violations," said Anantha. "What about this so-called moderate Muslim country Malaysia? It has a police force than can rival the Gestapo and KGB".
On Saturday, Malaysian police used teargas and water cannons to disperse about 300 Hindu Rights Action Force supporters who had gathered along Jalan Raja Laut to hand Abdullah hundreds of roses.
Calling it a "rose protest", Hindraf had said it wanted to give the flowers to the premier, asking him, among others, to release the five Hindraf leaders held under the Internal Security Act. The plan was initially to get a group of children to hand over the roses to Abdullah at Parliament. That, however, fell through when police blockaded roads leading to Parliament, forcing the supporters to group at Jalan Raja Laut instead.
The police eventually arrested about 200 people and released all but nine whom they said defied repeated orders to disperse.
Abdullah, in an immediate reaction, labelled Hindraf as group of "extremists" out to disrupt general elections scheduled on March 8.
Mock coffin
Anantha said it was "most laughable" for the premier to link the incident with the upcoming polls in Malaysia.
"In what way can the Indians in Malaysia disrupt the electoral process that's underway? They are minorities, marginalised in every sense of the word, and don't even have enough resource to fend for themselves, let alone disrupt a national election," he said.
The 51-year-old former Malaysian-turned-US citizen who runs a financial consultancy in Queens, New York, also appeared to pre-empt any possible remark by Abdullah that Indians outside of Malaysia had no business with what was happening in the country.
"For the prime minister's information, I still have family members in Malaysia and they are paying income taxes too, so I have every right to speak on their behalf," Anantha said.
He said the weather in New York was below 32 degrees Farenheit (0 degrees Celcius) on Saturday and those who turned up outside the Consulate General's office in Manhattan, including women and children, braved icy winds for nearly 2 hours.
"We were freezing on the outside but we were burning on the inside at what's happening to our fellow Indians in Malaysia," Anantha said.
Pictures received by Malaysiakini showed demonstrators carrying placards such as "Malaysia, Provide Equal Opportunity and Equal Treatment for All" and "All Malaysians, Act Now or Lose Your Freedom, Your Rights and Your Identity Forever."
In New York, demonstrators even brought a mock coffin for MIC President S Samy Vellu, who has been fiercely criticised for failing the Indian community. A sign above the coffin read: "Samy Vellu – Traitor of Indian Malaysians, R.I.P. (Rest In Peace)." (photo above)
In another interesting picture, five people also wore cut-out pictures of the faces of the five detained Hindraf leaders, holding up their wrists in a symbolic sign of incarceration.
A big sham
And not all those who participated in the foreign demonstrations were Indians of Malaysian origin.
Fiona Lee (photo), an ethnic Chinese from Malaysia, said in comments to Malaysiakini that she decided to join the protest in New York "because these are issues affecting all Malaysians."
"To me, the marginalisation of the Indian community is very real," said the 25-year-old, who has lived in the United States for seven years now and is pursuing a doctorate in English at the City University of New York.
"I grew up in Cheras and I belonged to a church group that used to visit Indian slums where the children had little access to education, food and even clothing," Lee said. "To say they are being equally treated is the biggest sham."
There were no officials from the Malaysian Consulate General's office in New York to receive ay memorandums from the protesters. However several officials were seen snapping photographs of the protesting crowd.
The writer is a New York-based Malaysiakini reader who wishes to remain anonymous.

who is responsible

Who is responsible for the anger of the Indians
Sun, 17/02/2008 - 16:07 — naragan
I am no fan of Samy Vellu. I would like him to go as he is a key player in this cheat game against the Indians. But to say he is solely responsible is not at all acceptable. Who is torturing the HINDRAF leaders in Kamunting (refer to the recent police report of Mr. Vasantkumar on the 15th of January about the treatment he is being meted out by the police special branch - reference Malaysiakini report of 17th Feb.) Is samy responsible for the torture they are undergoing? Is samy the one who is breaking the temples? Is samy the one who sprayed on all of us the acid water yesterday, who dragged and threw us into the police trucks. No, it is the UMNOputras hiding behind and who want to remain unchallenged that are responsible for all these miseries. Let this fight not get deflected as the culprits sit gleefully outside and watch.
If samy goes, are things going to really change? Is he the one denying us our rights? It is the UMNO putras who are doing this with samy as their cover. If samy is to go, the UMNO putras have to go as well.
The true culprits are the UMNOputra, who have hijacked the system and usurped our rights and Samy Vellu has let that happen, so he can enrich himself. In so doing he has made himself impotent in the eyes of the UMNOputras.
Let us keep the pressure up, till we have real change. The political system is not different from the hated Apartheid system and it must change. Let us stay united till our ultimate aim of true equality is attained.
I am hurting from watching us so helplessly abused yesterday - my heart bleeds!!!
United we stand!

angry hindraf supportes

Nation Sunday February 17, 2008
Angry Hindraf supporters mob Samy
By A. LETCHUMANAN and DERRICK VINESH
BUTTERWORTH: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu was prevented by a group of people from leaving a function here.
The group, believed to be Hindu Rights Action Force supporters, surrounded his car last night and demanded for an undertaking for the release of women and children who were detained during a Hindraf rally in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning.

Mob demand: The angry crowd preventing the car carrying Samy from leaving the function in Butterworth last night.
They also locked the door of SJKC Chung Hwa Pusat 3 in Taman Senangin here where a Chinese New Year function was being held.
They relented after Samy Vellu said he would talk to the relevant authorities.
After 15 minutes, police came and cleared the way for Samy Vellu to leave.
It is understood that the group had been misinformed that some 100 children had been detained by police during the rally in Kuala Lumpur.
Police, however, said no children except for an 11-year-old girl were detained. The girl was later released.
J. Balamurugan, 31, one of the spokesmen for the group, said they only wanted to ensure that children were released.
Another supporter, M. Ravindran, 37, said the group did not want to hurt Samy Vellu or cause any problem.
Earlier, Samy Vellu was also jeered by a group when he was giving a speech at a meeting with Rukun Tetangga and Umno branch members at Chai Leng Park here.
After the function, he approached the people and listened to their problems.

police brutality

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Roses To PM in M'sia - BBC Report

Malaysian police break up protestThe protesters carried roses to symbolise peaceful demandsProtest scenes Malaysian security forces have used tear gas and water cannon to break up a protest by ethnic Indians in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
More than 20 people taking part in the banned march were detained by police.The demonstration was organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force, which is demanding the release from jail of five of its leaders.
Activists say policies granting economic advantages to the ethnic Malay majority discriminate against Indians.The Malaysia government has rejected claims of unequal treatment.
Detention without trialSome 2000 protesters defied a ban on public gatherings, and carried roses to symbolise what they said was a peaceful demand for justice.A heavy police presence kept them in the city centre - preventing their planned march to parliament to give the flowers to the Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi.The protest was meant to be led by a group of about 200 children. There were no reports of any children being injured.Police used water canons thought to be laced with chemicals and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The group behind the demonstration has become increasingly effective at rattling the government, says the BBC's Robin Brant in Kuala Lumpur.It was behind a large demonstration on the streets of the capital last November which saw 10,000 people gather.
That rally exposed increasing unhappiness among some of Malaysia's minority Indians who feel they have fallen behind after decades of government policy which gives preferential treatment to the majority Malays, our correspondent says.
Five rights activists were arrested at that rally - the biggest protest involving ethnic Indians in more than a decade.They are being held under a rarely used security law that allows indefinite detention without trial.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 5:28 AM

Roses to Msian PM - Police react brutally against peaceful gathering


from Malaysiakini.com
200 nabbed at rose protestSyed Jaymal Zahiid Feb 16, 08 11:33am
Police fired teargas and chemical-laced water cannons in a bid to disperse some 300 Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters gathered for a peaceful rose handing-over ceremony at Jalan Raja Laut early this morning.
The Hindraf event was initially scheduled to be held at Parliament gates where 200 children were to hand over roses as a peaceful gesture requesting that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to heed the group’s 18-point demands.
News that roads leading to Parliament were closed to prevent the group from going there then led them to change the venue to Jalan Raja Laut in the city centre.According to Hindraf acting leader S Thanenthiran who was present at the gathering, about 200 people have been arrested including Hindraf’s rose campaign coordinator S Manickavasagam and popular blogger B Mahendran.
Women and children were among those detained.Witnesses also claimed that police had aggressively manhandled a women with her child when they wanted to arrest her.
"The woman was crying aloud because the police forced her to leave her child when she was arrested," said Mahendran who later informed Malaysiakini of the woman’s condition through his mobile phone.
Detained at roadblocksThanenthiran added that almost two thirds of them were detained prior to the gathering at roadblocks set up along the routes leading to the city. They are being held at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur.
There were heavy police and riot squads presence in Jalan Raja Laut. Four water cannon trucks were stationed along the route leading to Parliament.It is learnt that the police have been stationed at key areas pertaining to the gathering since last night. Roadblocks were also set up at various key routes leading into the city."The police outnumbered the crowd in three folds. I saw several of them firing teargas canisters to the peaceful crowd. Why is there a need to fire that many teargas canisters when one is strong enough (to disperse the crowd)," said a tourist who happened to be in the area.
After the teargas and water cannons were fired, the crowd were chased by some 40 plainclothes policemen. They then retreated into the Masjid India area.The dispersed crowd then walked in small separate groups towards the Court Malai Pillayar Temple in Jalan Pudu where another stand- off occurred between Hindraf supporters and the police.
At this point, ten people were arrested while seeking shelter in the temple. Three more were later nabbed while making their way to the KL Remand Centre in Jalan Hang Tuah to show support to some Hindraf members who were detained last night.
By this time, the crowd had dispersed and small groups made their way to Pulapol to show support to those detained. According to A Sivanesan who is the group’s legal adviser, lawyers have been sent to Pulapol to ensure that detainees get proper legal help.
Mahendran, who was arrested near the Masjid Jamek area, had managed to contact Malaysiakini through his mobile phone and said that the "police are taking people in batches for questioning"
Police reaction unnecessarySelf-exiled Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy in a statement issued immediately after learning of the arrests said he was extremely disturbed by the manner in which the police handled the matter.
"Peaceful struggle, gesture of Love and cry for justice of the poor and underclass Indian society has been met with violence and brutality by the state sanctioned by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The attack on peaceful poor and underclass people who came with roses is appalling,
"I invite all peace loving people throughout the world to condemn this brutal attack on innocent citizens who were exercising their rights under Article 10 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution and Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he said.
Police have declared today’s event illegal as no permit was given to the group.
Watch video here.
Posted by Hindraf Supporter at 5:08 AM
Friday, February 15, 2008

War of Roses - Now WORLDWIDE!
Fri, 01/02/2008 - 01:10 — admin
Start: 02/16/2008 - 00:00
End: 02/16/2008 - 23:59
Timezone: Etc/GMT+8
MalaysiaDate : 16th February 2008 (Saturday)Venue : Parliament House Kuala LumpurAddress: Jalan Parlimen, 50680, Kuala LumpurTime : 11.00 am

Los Angeles, California, USADate: February 16, 2008Venue: In front of Consulate General of Malaysia, Los AngelesAddress: 550 South Hope Street, Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90071.Time: 10am - 2pm

New York, USADate : 16th February 2008 (Saturday)Venue : Malaysian Consulate General of New YorkAddress: -313 East, 43rd Street, NY, NY 10017 Nearest Subway – Grand CentralTime: 11.00 am - 1pm

BelgiumVenue: 414A, Avenue de Tervuren 1150 Brussels, BelgiumTime: 11.00 am
Northern IrelandAddress : Level 3A - 5A Shelbourne House, Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

IndonesiaVenue: Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav. X/6, No.1-3 Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12950Time: 11.00 am

LondonDate : 16th February 2008Venue: High Commission of Malaysia, LondonAddress: Malaysian High Commission 45-46 Belgrave Square LondonTime: 10.30-11.30 am

New Delhi, IndiaVenue : In Front Of Malaysian Embassy50-M, Satya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021Time: 11.00 am

Mumbai, IndiaVenue: 4-B, 4th Floor, Notan Plaza, Turner Road, Bandra (West), Mumbai 400050.

New ZealandVenue: HIGH COMMISSION OF MALAYSIA IN WELLINGTONAddress : No. 10 Washington Avenue Brooklyn, P.O. Box 9422, Wellington, New Zealand

AustraliaChancery: 7 Perth AvenueYarralumla ACT 2600

The war of roses is another attempt to pressure the UMNO led government to take into consideration of our 18 point demands and to release the 5 Hindraf leaders from ISA. Our ultimate attempt to bring our grievances to the attention of the government on 25th nov are completely denied by the government and our 5 Hindraf leaders are detain in ISA.Our former PM Dr Mahathir said that the UMNO led Government has done a big mistake , he pointed out that the government should have listen to the Indian plight by having talk with the Hindraf leaders to solve their problem amicably, the UMNO led government has done a biggest injustice to the poor Indian by labelling them as terrorist and extremist and jail their leaders. This has angered and disappoints the Indian toward the government.
Our ultimate goal in this gathering is to show to the government that we are not forgetful people and we are serious in our demand for equal rights , and if the government did not give prior attention to our grievances , we will continue fight for our right and it is an ongoing struggle until our demand are met. The UMNO led government evil intention, by detaining our leaders , are to silence the Malaysia Indian and to threaten them to keep quite , they expect within few months the Indian community will drop their demand, and ready to vote the BN again in the coming election, the MIC who called the only party to defence the Indian faith are pressured by the UMNO to convince the Indian that they are doing well in this country, the supervisor Samy vellu was send to India to tell lies that all Indian in Malaysia are properly taken care and doing well but Tamil Nadu government fully aware of the current marginalisation of Indian which majority of them are south Indian origin thus refuse to meet the supervisor.
The Feb 16th gathering is another chance to the Malaysian Indian to send message to UMNO led government that majority of Malaysian Indian are beside Hindraf platform and to remind them that their evil intention to suppress the Indian to keep quiet has failed, by detaining the 5 leader has never undermine the spirit of struggle for our right and to tell them we are united to demand the 18 points demand and ask the government immediately take steps to implement it.
With this peaceful gathering of 10,000 Indian, we will bring roses to meet the PM to remind him to immediately take measure to uplift the Indian which stated in the 18 points demands .We are merely gathered in front of Istana Negara in peaceful means to request from the PM to release innocent 5 Hindraf leaders, and if again they want to use police and FRU and use force to disperse the peaceful poor marginalised Indian , it is another attempt by UMNO led government to suppress the awaken realisation of Indian for their future in this country, and it is another chance for Indian to bring the issue to the international attention that we Indian are non-violence and the government back by the police are simply attacking the Indian ,and it is a prove that the UMNO led government will use whatever means to suppress and oppress the Indian to denied them basics human rights and their agenda is to slowly marginalised further the Indian to the extend of extinction by 2020.

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Comments
Thu, 14/02/2008 - 13:24 — CyberCrew
RAlly of Roses
Dear friends,together we join the rally of roses..BE there guyz our motive and objective is the same...We have to make sure our HINDRAF 5 is released anyhow...Lets protest peacefully..NO Violence...Lets Be UnitedINDIAN Community..Together as ONE VOICE......
United Malaysian Indians - http://www.unitedmyindians.co.nrSpeak UP NOW or NEVER
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Thu, 14/02/2008 - 01:16 — sactyr
Everyone please sign the petition!!!
Plz go to http://www.petitiononline.com/RosRally/petition.html to sign the petition. Plz forward to all your friends too.
http://sactyr.blogspot.com
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Thu, 14/02/2008 - 00:27 — sactyr
Lets make a online petition !!
Krishnavengkat, you just gave me a brilliant idea!! In order to call international human rights groups/commissions and foreign press for this Saturday we will need to show them some kind of invitation. I though of sending them individual emails but now I have even better idea. Lets draft up a petition online and make everyone sign it. Then lets send the petition to all groups/commissions/foreign press. We need to be quick though coz we only have 2 days to sign the petition.
http://sactyr.blogspot.com
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Wed, 13/02/2008 - 23:02 — krishavengkat
INVITE ALSO THE HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
Hi,Please invite officers from world wide Human Rights Organization to witness the brutality of Malaysian Police. ( If the police are planning to do so)Invite these officers to witness how caring is our PM towards our community in our country. Let them to know how cruel is this government.
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Wed, 13/02/2008 - 10:13 — snehakaur
war of roses
My reply to kknantha,What matters is the theme, the message and the solidatirity that we are going to show the umno regime.My brothers and sisters, it is not necessary that you have to have a rose bought from a chinaman, you can get a plastic rose, you can make your own rose of yellow and red paper, you can get some yellow and red flowers, you can even carrry a photo of yellow and red roses.
We have to think out of the box or even without the box.Nobody is going to check each an every flower to confirm whether it is real or not.Let the regime see a sea of yellow and red colour.
Your tomato ketchup is 15% papaya pulp, your coffee is 10% burned coconut shell, your tea leaves 10% dried, crushed papaya leaves, your curry powder 10-15% grinded padi husk (fibers good for your digestion). When you are eating all this why can't you give some paper roses to your Prime Minister.
Good let's cut cost and save some money.
For the sake of a horse shoe nail let us not lose the battle, for the sake of a price of a rose let us not forgo the rights of the Indians.
What we have to show is the unity. Let us be focused.
First time posting in a blog, please forgive if any mistakes or harshness in tone of letter.
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Wed, 13/02/2008 - 23:01 — kknantha
WAR OF ROSES
MY RESPONSE TO SNEHAKAUR BLOG
I wish to appreciate all Hindraf leaders are doing including the war of roses.
But my comments are based on the people we are dealing with.
Roses are usually handed over to good, kind, charming, lovable and honourablepersons but in Malaysia we are dealing with crooks, corrupted personals, racists,and unethical persons.
I don't think anything can change by just handing roses to these barbarians, in fact it may onlycause embarrasments to them thereby they getting more angry with the Indians.
The most proper channels is to take part in elections and put up a good fight.
I sometimes used to wonder why our Indian race happens to be STUPID.
1. They spend a lot of money buying milk, flowers etc etc for temple and wastethe money
2. They spend a lot of money buying garlands to honour a person who is not worthy ofit
3. Buy wreath for funerals (which will eventually go to waste)
Our efforts should be directed only at our targets - use our resources wisely.
The money spent on the above can be better used elsewhere.
I am sorry for my comments but the Indians have to change a lot.
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Sun, 10/02/2008 - 00:16 — shekar75
Venue???
is the pak lah is agree to recieve the roses? pls confirm venue once again. is it infront of parliment or PM office in putrajaya? even i heard at istana negara? pls confrim the venue clearlyr.shekar
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Fri, 08/02/2008 - 14:21 — marykanniah
rally of roses
mary
For those who will be going for the rally of roses. Remember to protect yourselves from tear gas and chemical water. Bring towel and salt. You can also use raincoat to protect your clothes from getting wet and googles to protect your eyes. Most important of all children and women need maximum protection.
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Thu, 07/02/2008 - 17:04 — sactyr
Venue
If I m not wrong.. the venue is the Parliament.. but can someone confirm??
http://sactyr.blogspot.com
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Sat, 09/02/2008 - 12:57 — admin
Where is the walk starting
Where is the walk starting from?We know it ends at the parliament.
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Thu, 07/02/2008 - 01:13 — admin
Do we have a venue
Do we have a venue established?
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Wed, 06/02/2008 - 18:00 — kknantha
RALLY OF ROSES
Its waste of time and money. Only the Chinaman isgoing to make money, selling the roses. The money canbe used to distribute to the families of our 5 heroes.
I don't know whose idea it is. IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK. Please ue the money for a good cause.
Why give the CHINA MAN the money, unless you getthe roses FREE.
PLEASE HINDRAF HAS ONLY TO GIVE ITS SUPPORTTO THE OPPOSITION AND A LOT WILL CHANGE.
Please don't be childish, may be a few people cancarry the roses the rest nothing. Please rethink yourdecisions.
This kind of ideas will come only to UMNO or MIC menbecause they can get commission supplying the roses.
If you really want to go ahead use some cheap flowers.
Just like for Valetine's day the price of roses will go up and make the CHINA MAN rich.
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Sun, 10/02/2008 - 03:54 — selva
yes i agree that
yes i agree that
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Sat, 02/02/2008 - 18:18 — naragan
Rally of roses
All Malaysians who want to show that the issues raised by Hindraf is real and that the UMNO led government cannot try to sweep things under the carpet must participate in the Feb 16th Rally of roses.
There are already indications that the UMNO led government is thinking that the Indians have been cowed down after the arrests of the Hindraf leaders. Various self-serving political groups and individuals are also trying to hijack and possibly derail the movement begun by Hindraf.
Should we let it happen?
One way to answer to all these is to gather in even larger numbers on the 16th of Feb , under the HINDRAF banner to get the message across loud and clear. We have to take care of ourselves. We have to do this in our own image. We do not need sharks and vultures to represent us.
This can only happen if all of you out there who are reading this article come out on the 16th of Feb i large numbers from all over the country, to the Parliament building and let it be known what the Indian community really feels.
The organisers of the rally now need to work out a main plan and a contingency plan and let it be known to all, how we are to gather, where to meet., what to do, what the alternative plans are if the Government, again in its paranoia does not allow the gathering to meet or begins to use force against those of us gathered. We have to have a plan not to be provoked and to remain peaceful and only show our feelings by the numbers participating and expressing our solidarity amongst ourselves and with HINDRAF.
United we will stand.
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Sat, 02/02/2008 - 17:58 — kknantha
THE UMNO GOVERNMENT - YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEM?
My dear friends at Hindraf, many of us are new to Politics.Politics is a dirty commercial venture, just like in any commercialventures where you have director, politics too have directors andthey are for life. Just in any commercial ventures where youinvest, take loans, cheat, make profits, kill your competition,advertise, make friends, give and take bribery etc etc - it alsohappens in Politics.
I bet my life on it - the government will never accept the demands,maybe they will bend a bit.
HINDRAF LEADERS have to make a decision quickly - that is to openlysupport the opposition. Make the number in Parliament and maybe wewill see changes.
Look around, read the papers - the Indian bastards in PPP, IPF arealready selling the Indians to the Malay & Chinese for rice and cakesfor personal benefits - nothing much they can get accept cash & PJK/AMNbut the goats and the asses are following them.
Please make your decision quickly, before things go beyond control.
The government will load money for the Indians Goats and asses.and once they win with bigger majority we are finished. Only witha bigger representation we can wake up the world to look at us.If because of the Bastards in PPP, IPF and MIC manage to get Indiansto vote for Barisan - the world will look at us as trouble makers.
SO THE BALL IS AT YOUR SIDE OF THE COURT
Thank you.
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hindraf

Why HINDRAF came to be.
Thu, 14/02/2008 - 08:24 — naragan
Everyone should see the following Videos.They tell the story of why HINDRAF came to be.
1) www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFyDHZKrLBk
2) www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU-Zxd8s_40
3) www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNah2-3scZc
4) www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNo2BvAcBfo
5) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffdQS86XziE
6) www.youtube.com/watch?v=sILpmw85UYw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HINDRAF

HINDRAF
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

HINDRAF activists carrying posters of Mahatma Gandhi and banners during a massive rally in Kuala Lumpur
HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force)
Led by
Lawyers:M. ManoharanP. UthayakumarK.GanghadaranP.Wathya MoorthyS. Ganapathi Rao
Active region(s)
Malaysia
HINDRAF or Hindu Rights Action Force is a coalition of 30 Hindu Non-Governmental organizations committed to the preservation of Hindu community rights and heritage in secular Malaysia. The group has led agitations against what they see as an "unofficial policy of temple demolition" and concerns about the steady encroachment of sharia-based law.[1][2]
In late 2007, several prominent members of the HINDRAF, all prominent lawyers, were arrested, some on charges of sedition; following an enormous rally organised by HINDRAF in November, the charges were dismissed by the courts. Five people have since been detained without trial under the Internal Security Act.[3]
Contents[hide]
1 Events
1.1 Arrests in October 2007
1.2 Human Rights Forum
1.3 Arrests in November
1.4 Petition and rally
1.5 Threat from the government
2 Response to the Detentions
3 Online Petition
4 See also
5 References
6 Notes
7 External links
//

[edit] Events

[edit] Arrests in October 2007
On 30th October, four HINDRAF Group leaders and human rights lawyers, namely M.Manoharan, P.Uthayakumar, P. Waytha Moorthy and S.Ganapathi Rao,k.Ulaganathan (their silent leader), were arrested and detained for taking part in the Demonstration against the demolishing of a Hindu Shrine in Kuala Lumpur.[4] However, they were acquitted due to a lack of evidence of incitement and sedition.

[edit] Human Rights Forum
A series of peaceful weekend forums were organized throughout Malaysia to increase the awareness of Hindu human rights by HINDRAF. A previous forum held near central Kuala Lumpur had been disrupted, according to HINDRAF with the collusion of the police.[5] Subsequently, HINDRAF appealed directly to the Inspector General of the Malaysian Police in an attempt to ensure that their fora went off peacefully.[6]

[edit] Arrests in November

From left, Uthayakumar, Waytha Moorthy and V. Ganabatirau after their discharge.
On 23 November, 2007, three HINDRAF leaders, P. Uthayakumar, Waytha Moorthy, and V.S. Ganapathi Rao, were arrested and charged under the Sedition Act.[7][8] However, in a series of repeated arrests and releases, the courts could not prove that they had incited racial hatred. The only evidence against them were unreliable translations of their Tamil speeches into Bahasa Malaysia presented by the Attorney-General's Chambers, which the courts deemed as unverifiable. Eventually, they were all acquitted due to a shaky prosecution and the lack of evidence of any wrongdoing or crime.[9].

[edit] Petition and rally
Main article: 2007 HINDRAF rally

A HINDRAF activist carries a poster of Queen Elizabeth II during the march to deliver their petition to the British High Commission.
On 30th August 2007, a class action on behalf of Malaysian Indians was filed at The Royal Courts of Justice in London to sue the UK Government for US$4 trillion (US$1 million for every Malaysian Indian) for bringing Indians as indentured laborers into Malaya, "exploiting them for 150 years" and thereafter failing to protect the minority Indians' rights in the Federal Constitution when independence was granted.[10] As the group, which represents mainly working-class Indo-Malaysians, could not afford the legal fees required, a petition was circulated with 100,000 signatures to be presented to Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom to appoint a Queen's counsel to argue the case[10].
HINDRAF organized a rally on Sunday, 25th November 2007 to submit the petition at the British High Commission. Malaysian police refused to grant a permit for the rally, and set up roadblocks in Klang Valley along roads leading up to the rally to screen motorists entering the city center and identify troublemakers. They also advised the public not to participate in the rally, and arrested three leaders of HINDRAF.
The police roadblocks started the week before the rally to create massive traffic jams across the city and the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur[2]. Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang of the DAP pointed out that this high-handed act by the police was unnecessary as it caused major inconvenience to everyone[3].

Riot police use teargas and water cannon to break up the march on 25th November, 2007.
On the morning of the rally, an estimated twenty thousand people gathered near the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, carrying life-size portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Mahatma Gandhi, to indicate the nonviolent nature of their protest.[10] Five thousand members riot police dispatched to the scene used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds. 136 people were arrested.[10][11]
Al-Jazeera's coverage of the event [4] showed police officers using tear gas to disperse the protesters. A few hundred protesters and three police officers were injured [5].
The protest at the Batu Caves resulted in minor property damages [6], although the Hindu temple itself was not damaged[7].
HINDRAF later claimed to have faxed the petition to the British High Commission staff. However, as of 28 November, the British Envoy had not yet received any petition from the HINDRAF, though they did say they had received some unspecified information by fax.[12]

[edit] Threat from the government
Malaysian prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi warned that the government will invoke the Internal Security Act against the demonstrators if they needed. The prime minister further criticised the demonstrators, after he made a promise that he will listen to everyone even if they have unpleasant words to say, the government of Abdullah also attempted to link terrorism with the peaceful Hindraf rally via the media. [13]
As of 11th December 2007, the HINDRAF leaders were all acquitted by the judicial courts due to lack of evidence and a flimsy prosecution case against their allegations. In order to contain the movement while not being able to charge them according to valid evidence-based legal processes, on 12th December 2007 Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi personally signed the detention letters to imprison the HINDRAF leaders under the draconian ISA for two years, in which their detention terms are subject to infinite renewal. The invocation of the ISA to capture the HINDRAF leaders goes to show that the UMNO government is interested in furthering their race-based policies while throwing inter-race relations to the wind. Rather than engaging the group in a proper dialogue and hear out their grievances, they have decided to lock up the leaders without trial and without evidence of wrongdoing indefinitely. The UMNO government has also directly shown that they are not interested in improving inter-race relations and do not care about the grievances and concerns of the non-Muslims in Malaysia.
The UMNO government has threatened that the first five arrests are just the starting. More Hindus will be arrested and detained without trial in the coming weeks. Some fear that Badawi's government is creating another Operation Lalang. While the first Operation Lalang was targeted against the Chinese (with threats to massacre the Chinese community), the latest round of action against the Indians and HINDRAF is squarely targeted at the Malaysian Indians. The difference is that the Indians are not as passive as the Chinese, and thinking they've got nothing to lose, may retaliate against the racist government.
By making these moves, the UMNO government is sending out a clear signal to the non-Malays and non-Muslims in Malaysia that they are second-class citizens with no right to demand anything from the government and if they ever do, they will either be detained without trial or face the threat of massacre by UMNO's ultra-nationalist Youth Wing.

[edit] Response to the Detentions
Even as the Prime Minister started threatening to use the ISA against the HINDRAF leaders for bringing Malaysia's racist policies out into the open for all to see, foreign news outlets criticized Badawi's lack of initiative to tackle the root cause of the problem[8][9].
The detention without trial of the HINDRAF leaders drew negative comments in the foreign press about Badawi's administration and the poor way that they are handling the issue[10][11].
The Democratic Action Party, DAP, has vowed to challenge the detention of the HINDRAF leaders[12][13]. Despite the arrests, the Opposition and most of the Malaysian NGOs were unfazed and continued to challenge UMNO's deconstruction of democracy in Malaysia. The United States had also voiced their disapproval of this latest round of ISA arrests[14].
The official HINDRAF website at http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com has been allowed by Malaysian ISPs again, after a brief ban. In response to the ban, sites such as http://www.hindraf.org were spawned to maintain awareness of this movement, in addition to the many blogs available. The movement started in Malaysia, has grown global and no has following in UK, Australia, Canada and USA.
There has also been candlelight vigils at Hindu temples throughout Malaysia to protest the detention of five leaders of the HINDRAF. This was condemned by Malaysian minister Samy Vellu. [14]

[edit] Online Petition
Shortly after the five HINDRAF lawyers were arrested under the ISA, an online petition was set up by Police Watch Malaysia.

[edit] See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Constitution of Malaysia
P.Waytha Moorthy - Human Rights Lawyer and Chairperson of HINDRAF.
Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia - Article 153 of the Constitution of Federal Malaysia.
History of Malaysia - History of Malaysia before and after Independence.
Hinduism in Malaysia - Status of Hinduism in Malaysia.
Bumiputra - Bumiputera in Malaysia and its chronology.
Reid Commission - An independent commission responsible for drafting the Constitution of the Federation Malaya.
Law of Malaysia - Law of Malaysia.
Malaysian Indian
Tamil Malaysians

[edit] References
^ Hindu group protests "temple cleansing" in Malaysia
^ Asia Times
^ http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSKLR29657920071214
^ 4 HINDRAF Founding Lawyers Arrested
^ POLICE ATTEMPTS TO SABOTAGE HINDRAF FORUM IN SEMENYIH ON 6.10.2007
^ Hindraf seek IGP protection for nationwide forums / assemblies
^ "Police arrest Hindraf leaders (update 2)", Malaysia Star, 2007-11-23.
^ "Lawyers charged with sedition", Malaysia Star, 2007-11-24.
^ [1] Subscription Required
^ a b c d Time
^ Cops forced to use tear gas, water cannons
^ http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/11/28/nation/19597270&sec=nation British envoy: No petition received
^ The Straits Times: US defends peaceful protests in Malaysia
^ http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080128/r_t_ians_wl_asia/twl-malaysian-minister-slams-pro-hindraf-d5d6288_1.html

[edit] Notes
Jawan, Jayum A. (2003). Malaysian Politics & Government, p. 43. Karisma Publications. ISBN 983-195-037-2
Amnesty International (2005). Amnesty International Report 2006: The State of the World’s Human Rights. Amnesty International. ISBN 0-86210-369-X.

[edit] External links
In pictures: Malaysia protests
Malaysian police break up rally
Malaysia's lingering ethnic divide
Malaysia charges ethnic Indians
Malaysia arrests ethnic Indians
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HINDRAF"
Categories: Religious persecution Human rights abuses Constitution of Malaysia Human rights organizations Civil rights Hindu movements and organizations Religion and politics Malaysia NGOs Hinduism in Malaysia
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