Ethnic Indians protest racial violence in KL
Ethnic Indians protest racial violence in KL
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Nearly 200 ethnic Indian activists demonstrated outside parliament on Tuesday, declaring Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad responsible for recent ethnic clashes that were Malaysia's worst in three decades.
Waving banners reading "We demand justice and development" and "Maintain harmony without racism," the protesters demanded a meeting with Mahathir to air grievances over social and economic problems faced by ethnic Indians, Malaysia's third-largest minority group.
Mahathir, however, was not in Parliament -- where Speaker Mohamed Zahir Ismail rejected an opposition motion on Tuesday to hold a special debate over this month's fighting between ethnic Malays and ethnic Indians that killed at least six people and wounded dozens.
The demonstration came one day after the 25-day session opened with a plea for unity by Malaysia's king. Protests are extremely rare at parliament, which is four-fifths dominated by Mahathir's ruling National Front coalition.
K. Arumugam, a spokesman for 51 non-government organizations who demonstrated, said ethnic Indians felt "alienated and deprived" compared to Malay Muslims, who comprise more than half of the Southeast Asian nation's 22 million people and benefit from government affirmative action programs.
"The existence of racism has always been there," Arumugam told reporters.
In a letter to Mahathir, the protesters urged Malaysia's leader of nearly 20 years to establish a multiethnic police task force to handle racial conflicts and a race relations commission to probe intolerance.
"We believe (Mahathir) had the power and authority to decisively act to minimize the deaths of Malaysian citizens," the statement said, referring to the clashes. "We hold the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the government responsible for what happened."
Most of the protesters dispersed peacefully after two hours. They met Deputy Housing Minister M. Kayveas, who pledged to convey their request for a meeting with Mahathir, but refused to give their letter to the junior minister.
Azizah Ismail, an opposition lawmaker and the wife of jailed former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, told The Associated Press that the demonstrators' suggestions were "very fair."
This month's violence, which flared intermittently on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur for four days starting March 8, broke out after an ethnic Indian man knocked over furniture at an ethnic Malay wedding, inflaming tensions which escalated into the worst fighting between ethnic groups since riots between Malays and ethnic Chinese in 1969.
Observers say the violence underscores discontent among ethnic Indians, who are about eight percent of Malaysia's population and who are generally poorer than other races. Ethnic Chinese, who comprise nearly 30 percent of Malaysians, have dominated the economy for generations. Government programs which benefit ethnic Malays include university slots and preferential treatment for government business contracts.
The government has pledged new public housing in the villages which were torn by the fighting and where more than 100,000 laborers, factory employees and squatters live. Hundreds of police patrol the streets to guard against further fighting.
Inspector General of Police Norian Mai said late Monday that the region has been peaceful for more than a week, and police might scale down their operation. He said authorities detained five men in connection with one of the deaths, the first arrest directly connected to the killings.
The five were arrested on Sunday night and a magistrate has given police permission to lock up the suspects.
Two of the five are minors, aged 16 or less. The oldest is 32. The clashes over three days between minority Indians and majority Malays in a poor neighborhood outside the capital marked Malaysia's worst ethnic violence since 1969.
Aside from the killings, nearly 30 people were hospitalized with broken bones and cuts and stab wounds, while many more were injured less seriously.