Hisham: " Indians Love Only MIC ... Our In-house Guinness Stout Stooge"
Hisham: Poor attendance shows Hindraf rally a failure
(Bernama) - Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the planned demonstration by Hindraf in Kuala Lumpur Sunday to protest against the novel "Interlok" had failed as there was poor response from the people.
He said the demonstration, which he believed was supported by certain quarters, was organised to create a similar situation as in Tunisia and Egypt which were seeing a public uprising against the governments of these countries.
"Their effort failed as there was poor response, while they (organisers and participants of the demonstration) had also violated the law and inconvenienced the public," he said after simultaneously opening the annual general meetings of the Umno branches in Perak.
He was earlier asked to comment on the arrest of 109 people including eight Hindraf leaders and human rights activists by police in the federal capital today.
Hishammuddin, who is also Umno vice-president, also confirmed that Hindraf chief P.Uthayakumar was among those arrested.
The minister said he was waiting for a detailed report from the Inspector-General of Police (Tan Sri Ismail Omar) on the arrests made.
"According to a report I received this morning, it was not a big demonstration. The many Indians who had gathered at Batu Caves were there for a religious event and not for a street demonstration," he added.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah said those arrested included eight women, while two reporters from the alternative media were arrested under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing the functions of the police.
Aged 18 to 66, the protesters arrested were being detained for up to 24 hours in accordance with Section 27 (5) of the Police Act for taking part in an illegal demonstration, and Section 45 (1) of the Societies Act 1966.
Malaysia police detain dozens of Indian protesters
shout slogans during a rally against racism in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011.
(The Associated Press) Malaysian police arrested dozens of ethnic Indians on Sunday in a clampdown on a protest against a high school literature book that was slammed for denigrating the minority community.
Police set up roadblocks in the country's biggest city, Kuala Lumpur, amid tight security around the landmark Petronas Twin Towers, where the protest was to be held.
The main protest leader, lawyer P.Uthayakumar, was among those rounded up early Sunday as he was leaving home, said his colleague S.Jayathas, who also was detained. He said more than 100 Indians were believed to have been picked up.
Some 50 protesters who managed to escape the police dragnet gathered at a temple in the city, holding banners and shouting "Ban Interlok" and "Don't insult the Indian community" before dispersing.
"We want a stop to racism against minority citizens, especially the Indian poor, and a ban on Interlok, which is sowing the seeds of racism in schoolchildren. We are not asking for special rights but equal opportunity," Jayathas told The Associated Press from police detention.
Police could not be immediately reached for comment. They earlier refused to issue a permit for the rally on grounds that it could jeopardize security and public order.
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has accused protesters of trying to stir anti-government rallies similar to those in the Middle East, ahead of general elections widely expected to be held this year.
The Malay-language novel "Interlok" was assigned as a literature textbook for 17-year-old students this year. First published in 1971, it tells the stories of three families - Malay, Chinese and Indian, reflecting Malaysia's main ethnic groups - in British colonial times.
Some Indians complained about a portion of the book involving a poor man from India's "Pariah caste" who migrates to the country to find work and is surprised at the absence of a caste system. They say it unfairly depicts Indians, who make up about 8 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people, as coming from inferior communities and contributes to ethnic tension and discrimination.
Under the Indian caste system, Hindus are divided into four main castes according to their line of work. Although the system is banned in India, it is still practiced in villages. Malaysian Indians continue with most traditions of their ancestors, but the caste system is largely obsolete here.
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/27/2685196/malaysia-police-detain-dozens.html#ixzz1FAZPpw00
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/27/2685196/malaysia-police-detain-dozens.html#ixzz1FAZPpw00
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