Why reject roses from a child...?

A Letter By : Jeyamohan Thirunavukarasu via M'Kini



Feb 16, 2008 was a shameful day for the Barisan Nasional government and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and another sad day for Indians and Malaysians. A five-year-old girl wrote a touching letter to Abdullah to accept roses for the release of the five Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA and consider 18 basic demands for Indians. She even personally asked Abdullah for protection from police brutality, tear gas and water-cannons.

What is the harm in receiving some flowers from our future Malaysians? Abdullah did not even bother reply to the little girl's letter, which was personally handed to his secretary one month ago. What kind of a leader is he? What is this complete ignorance and arrogance of him and his government? Even if he has no common sense of his own, are there no advisers to him? Are they all sleeping like their leader instead of writing a reply?

Do we need this kind of a man to run Malaysia? Abdullah said that people should use ‘proper channels.’ Please advise us on what are considered to be ‘proper channels.’ Writing letters? But you won't reply. Go to MIC? That is waste of time.

We Indians don't want the MIC anymore. Fifty years is enough. Indians can be represented by any other party. For instance, I think the DAP has spoken up more in Parliament for Indians than the MIC has. DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has showed more sympathy and understanding after the Nov 25 and Feb 16 events.

I think this election, we should all vote for the opposition. Give them a chance, and there will be a difference. We Malaysians don't want ministers who are corrupt, ministers who abuse their powers, ministers who use the ISA instead of law and order, ministers who swindle taxpayers, ministers who are racist and threaten minorities, ministers who break temples and, most of all, ministers who will not accept roses from a five-year-old.

We need ministers, MPs and politician who are dignified, educated, knowledgeable, trustworthy and, most of all, who do their job. They must be professional in their line of duty and they must listen to people who have real grievances and problems.

This election, all peace-loving Malaysians should completely deny the BN. Fifty years of marginalisation, discrimination and depravation is enough. We need change. Without change we will never see the end of corruption, discrimination and police impropriety. And we will never see an independent judiciary, equal rights, fair opportunities and the freedoms of religion, media and peaceful assembly. All those characterise a true democratic nation. If we do not achieve the above, we are doomed.

This time we should vote wisely for a party that is capable of bringing the much-needed change. I have personally listened to the voices of the DAP and will vote for them, without any hesitation. We have put up with the current situation for the last 50 years - we can give the opposition a chance to show their true capabilities for the next five years.

We peace-loving Malaysians cannot put up with the grievances and problems that are slowly but surely seeping through the system. We need an end to this.

We need change...

HINRDAF 5 WIVES NOT ALLOWED TO MEET ISA DETAINEES

Source : Malaysia Today

Malaysia Today has just received a phone call from Kamunting that the wives of the HINDRAF 5 are stranded outside the gate of the detention camp and are not being allowed in to meet their husbands.

This could be because the authorities want to prevent the wives from handing nomination papers to their husbands to sign. It is believed that at least two of the five ISA detainees will be contesting the coming general election on 8 March 2008 under a DAP ticket.

Malaysians are urged to lodge a protest and raise a fuss and demand that the wives be allowed to see their husbands. Since the matter is EXTREMELY URGENT it is no point writing letters or issuing press statements. Make phone calls and jam the lines of the Ministry of Internal Security and demand that this 'sabotage' end immediately.

According to the law, ISA detainees are allowed to contest the elections since they have never been charged or convicted of any crime. This, in fact, happened after Operasi Lalang in 1988 when many ISA detainees contested the elections and won.

Malaysians, do your bit NOW and demand justice and fairplay.

Easy for armchair critics to bash Hindraf

Letter by : Not So Stupid via M'Kini
Image : NST

This is my response to Marc Lourdes, who wrote a commentary in the New Sunday Times on Feb 17.

Dear Marc,

I read your comment with disgust. You ended your piece with the word ‘Stupid’. Let me start my letter with the same word.

Stupid! Yes, you and the rest of the Indian Malaysians have been in this category for the past 50 years. Subservient, timid, gullible, and the whole works. You may be right that the number of Indian lawyers and doctors form around 20 percent of the total number. But who are you to flaunt this figure and be proud about it? Did you in any way contribute towards this figure? Most of the Indian professionals in Malaysia did not get to where they are today because of the government. We hardly receive any aid from the government be it in any form whether they are scholarships, business licenses, bank loans, job opportunities, promotions in the civil sector, business contracts or whatsoever. The number of Indians who receive these aids is certainly limited.

It is ridiculous to say that the Hindraf lawyers received the opportunities to be lawyers. Do you know if they were fully sponsored by the government? Were they given allowances during their stay overseas like some privileged ethnic group? Where they given a place at the local university on a silver platter?

It is certainly easy to be an armchair critic. Sitting in air-conditioned comfort, you will not understand the struggle of the average, lower-level Indian (or for that matter anyone). Have you ever seen how the bumiputera in Sabah and Sarawak lives just on a meager wage and income? How would you feel if your loved ones are tortured under police custody, asked to perform most outrageous acts or their bodies snatched upon death to be buried as a Muslim? We are fine ones to comment and critise the incidents at Abu Ghraib prison. No shame.

Can you tell me out of the thousands of national schools in Malaysia, how many have non-Malay principles? How many GLC companies have non-Malay directors and staff at their top management level? How many universities have non-Malay vice-chancellors, deans or heads of departments? How many hospitals have non-Malay directors and heads of departments? How many ministries have non-Malay secretaries-general and staff at the top management level? The list can just go on and on. But one last question – how many schools have non-Malay head prefects? Even at the lowest level, opportunities are not given to the non-Malays. Is the answer to this is as simple as ‘No qualified personnel among non-Malays?’ Ask yourself and do some soul searching. If you are still lost, I am equally lost for words.

Ten members of parliament from the Indian community, you say. Who are they and what have they contributed to the community? Most of them are thugs who fill up their own coffers. One minister even called a woman MP for a fight. Aren’t you ashamed of them? The Indian community will be better off without them.

To your question ‘Which Hindraf supporter would represent the Indians in parliament or government’ - do you sincerely think Thaipusam was declared a public holiday because of MIC’s struggle? All of a sudden, we see mushrooming of government committees to look into the issues that have been plaguing the Indian community. No one can be a bigger fool than a person who thinks MIC is behind this sudden concern over the Indian community.

Before you go on to criticise the Hindraf leaders, ask yourself what have you contributed towards your community or Malaysia. Have you spent a single ringgit to sponsor the education of any underprivileged student? Have you spent your free time to teach at an orphanage or at any of the rural areas? Have you attended to someone without a birth certificate, donated to your church for the poor or advised children of illiterate parents on education options or job opportunities? Well, it is certainly easy to be an armchair critic.

The Hindraf leaders have finally managed to wake the Indian up from his long slumber. If you can’t help the community to move forward, do not push them backwards please.

You say Hindraf leader, P Waythamoorthy was in London while his supporters had to face the police. Did you sincerely think Waythamoorthy is in one the five-star hotels in London, having good time attending parties and sightseeing? Not only he is sacrificing his valuable family time but also his income for this noble struggle. The same goes for all the other Hindraf leaders who are detained in Kamunting now. These are the lawyers who have put their struggle for the Indian community above anything else. These are the same people who have taken up several legal cases to seek justice for the Indians without expecting anything in return. These are the people who used their bare hands to stop bulldozers from crushing Hindu deity statues.

They are the heroes. Are you eyeing for a seat on the MIC platform through your articles? Good luck, you fit the MIC bill well. Birds of the same feather flock together. But if you wish to wake up and see the truth, check the statistics. They will tell you the true Indian position in this country and all the opportunities (‘ethic-cleansing’ acts) that have been ‘bestowed’ upon them.

BN an anathema to nation-building

A Letter by : Amar via M'Kini
Image : Net



I refer to the Malaysiakini report Abdullah lashes out at 'extremist' Hindraf.

So Hindraf is an extremist group in the prime minister's eyes. My first reaction was, of course, to think here is the pot calling the kettle black. Some of us may rightly view it as the pot calling the porcelain black.

However, on closer scrutiny, there may be some basis to the PM's statement. Wikipedia defines extremism as 'the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political centre of society'.

The political centre of Malaysian society is Umno and any group which does not subscribe to Umno's agenda is an extremist, notwithstanding that the offer of roses and assembling without weapons were the acts described as extreme. Perhaps waving the keris is relatively not as extreme as handing out roses because keris-waving is an excepted part of national policy.

But would waving the keris by Hindraf be acceptable? Not even in our dreams for accepted national policy permits only Umno to wave it which brings us to the failure that BN is.

At a recent speech during a MIC convention at PWTC, the deputy prime minister said that MIC must reinvent itself by strengthening its leadership at all levels to get the confidence of the community. He went on to say that Indians must work within the BN system and not against it.

No amount of reinventing the leadership of any of the BN component parties would be of use till Umno welcomes such a change. The power play within BN requires the other component parties to be weak if Umno is to remain strong and vice-versa as BN thrives on the perverted notion that each community is out to wring the necks of the other communities. They then package their perversion in an outwardly acceptable way by stating everyone is represented in the coalition.

For all component parties within BN to be equally strong at any one time requires a needs-based policy (as opposed to a race-based policy) to be adopted as a platform for governance and this cannot be expected to happen anytime soon as the majority is not prepared for it.

It was pointed out that the Malays turned against BN in the 1999 general elections but the question to be asked is for what reason. Was it to do away with the race-based policies of the BN? Not in the least. It was due to their dissatisfaction over the removal of a rising stalwart who could have made Umno even stronger than it was at that time.

Considering Anwar Ibrahim's current political stand and PKR's model of a needs-based policy in the form of its Malaysian Economic Agenda (MEA), are the Malays supportive of them?

This country will only undergo a political renaissance when the Malays themselves realise the malaise of racism afflicting this nation. Perhaps in two or three generations time when the non- Malays make up just 10 percent of the populace, the majority of Malays would realise that the NEP as it is practised does not make the community self-reliant and competitive in a globalised world besides the primary beneficiaries of the policy being those who are politically connected.

BN as it is today is an anathema to nation-building. Our nation is one of the most ethnically stratified societies in this region. Let us do our part in ensuring the opposition obtains at least 75 seats in parliament, thus denying BN a two-thirds majority it does not deserve.

ROSES FOR PM : WAS MINDLESS FORCE NECESSARY...?

From : Aliran executive committee via Makkal Sakti
Image : Malaysia Today


Aliran regrets that the police have resorted to mindless force to break up a peaceful gathering that included women and children. A video recording of the police action leaves us distressed and dumbfounded that water cannon and tear gas was directed at the gathering with such intensity. We find it difficult to understand that a crowd of 300 could pose a threat to national security of any significance or that it was likely to cause traffic havoc.

Compare this to the state-sponsored open-house gatherings, which seemingly attract more than 100,000 Malaysians. We wonder how the police are able to safeguard the security of the nation without the presence of hundreds of police personnel, water cannons and teargas. It only goes to show that if the police choose to allow certain assemblies to take place without any interference or hindrance, nothing untoward would take place.

They could have approved a permit for today’s gathering, identified a route for the people concerned to take, determined the duration of the assembly, and generally helped in the control of traffic. This would have been in keeping with healthy democratic practices. But then, are we pro-democracy? That’s where our problem lies.

THE USE OF FORCE TO DENY MALAYSIANS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS MUST IMMEDIATELY BE STOPPED.

Source : Via Makkal Sakti blogspot


Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), and Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) condemn the Malaysian government for its usage of brute force without hesitation against peaceful assemblies once again.
The assembly was organized by the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) on 16 February 2008, which was intended to be a handing over of roses as a peaceful gesture requesting the Prime Minister to look into HINDRAF's demands. It was met with police violence, including the use of tear gas and chemical-laced water. Some 160 individuals were arrested in the assembly, including children, who were there to hand the roses to the Prime Minister. All of those detained have been released, with eight released under police bail (on 18 February 2008) while the others unconditionally (on 16 and 17 February 2008).

This latest police act of brutality is the latest in a series of blatant disregard by the Malaysian government for its citizens' constitutionally enshrined right to freedom of assembly. The three human rights organizations seriously question the need to resort to such extreme measures as arrests and use of violence, especially when the organizers have pledged a peaceful gathering and indicated the presence of children. According to a lawyer representing those detained, a female demonstrator was beaten up while in police custody.

It is extremely disturbing that the Malaysian government is increasing its use of brute force to stifle three basic human rights, rights to freedom of speech, expression and assembly. The latest crackdowns on assemblies in the past few months point to an increasingly authoritarian government and a trend of high intolerance in the country. This has to stop immediately.

SUARAM, FORUM-ASIA and CIJ therefore demand that the crackdown and witch hunt on organizers of peaceful assemblies be stopped immediately. The Malaysian government must heed the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)'s call for freedom of assembly to be respected. We further demand that charges against all individuals in relation to demonstrations in the past several months be dropped immediately. We reiterate our call for those police personnel responsible for the excessive violence towards peaceful civilians to be held accountable.

Malaysia's membership to the United Nations Human Rights Council will be openly challenged by the international community if it goes against the international human rights norms, including article 20 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stipulates "the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association" . Malaysia's pledge to the United Nations in 2006 that "[it guarantees] individual's fundamental rights and liberties" will be just a charade if it is just rhetoric and far from implementation on the ground.

CORRECTION : THEY NEED OUR HELP...! - 8 PEOPLE ARRESTED SATURDAY

Source : Via The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Eight Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters who were detained for their alleged participation in an illegal assembly to hand over roses to the Prime Minister on Saturday have been released on police bail.

The eight - seven men and a woman - aged between 22 and 45 were released from Pudu prison at 2.45pm on police bail of RM3,000 each, their lawyer A. Sivanesan said.

“They have to report to the Dang Wangi district police station on March 18,” he said.

The eight were arrested at various locations in the city including at Puduraya, Dataran Merdeka and Dayabumi on Saturday.

Police arrested 160 Hindraf people who took who took part in the “rose” rally. From the total, 152 were later released, including its coordinator S. Manickavasagam, Hindraf adviser R. Raguram and an 11-year-old girl.

Meanwhile, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information chief Tian Chua were among three people released unconditionally by a magistrate here Monday after their arrest in relation to Bersih (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) which submitted a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara last Friday.

The other two are media co-ordinator for PKR's information bureau Ginie Lim Siew Lin and PAS member Jalaluddin Ab. Manaf.

Their lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad said the trio were freed without conditions by magistrate Nazran Mohd Sham.

Tian Chua was detained while he was about to hold a press conference while Jalaluddin was taken into custody while distributing flyers.

Bersih coordinator Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad and Zulkifli Ahmad had earlier handed the memorandum to Istana Negara official Hasmoni Abdul Syukur.




ALL RELEASED AND NO BAIL IMPOSED....!!!!
ALL RELEASED, NO BAIL IMPOSED AND ALL CHARGES AGAINST THEM WERE DROPPED....!!!!

ALL RELEASED, NO BAIL IMPOSED AND ALL CHARGES AGAINST THEM WERE DROPPED....!!!!

ALL RELEASED, NO BAIL IMPOSED AND ALL CHARGES AGAINST THEM WERE DROPPED....!!!!


_____________________________________________________

TO ALL: 8 PEOPLE ARRESTED SATURDAY WILL BE CHARGED AT JLN DUTA COURTS AT 2.30 PM.

BAIL MAY AMOUNT TO RM15K.

THERE ARE VERY FEW PEOPLE THERE NOW.

PLS GO AND PROVIDE WHATEVER ASSISTANCE POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN POST BAIL.THEY NEED OUR HELP!

"City police chief deputy comm Datuk Muhamad Sabtu Osman said those remanded are expected to be charged today under Section 186 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of two years or a fine of up to RM10,000 or both.

He said they would also be charged with participating in an illegal assembly with intention to cause chaos.

The Hindraf supporters had planned to walk with children holding roses to the Parliament building to hand over a memorandum on improving the lot of the Indian community."

_____________________________________________________

Eight from Hindraf rose rally remanded

Source : The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Eight out of nine Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) supporters arrested during illegal protests on Saturday were remanded yesterday.

One was released after questioning.

Magistrate Nazran Mohd Sham issued the remand orders at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court in Jalan Duta at about noon yesterday.

City police chief deputy comm Datuk Muhamad Sabtu Osman said those remanded are expected to be charged today under Section 186 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of two years or a fine of up to RM10,000 or both.

He said they would also be charged with participating in an illegal assembly with intention to cause chaos.

The Hindraf supporters had planned to walk with children holding roses to the Parliament building to hand over a memorandum on improving the lot of the Indian community.

Malaysian police break up protest

Source : BBC


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 trial

Some 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.

ROSE VIOLENCE:GLOBAL DEMO AGAINST MALAYSIA.

Source : via Email from Barry in NW (Thank you Barry)


Demonstrators outside the Malaysian Consulate General in New York hold up a mock coffin for Samy Vellu.

Demonstrators outside the Malaysian Consulate General in New York wear cut-out faces of the detained Hindraf 5 and hold up their wrists in a symbolic gesture of incarceration.

Fiona Lee, an ethnic Chinese from Malaysia, who joined the protest in New York, saying the issues fought by Hindraf affected all Malaysians.


Feb 17, 08

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.

The writer is a New York-based Malaysiakini reader who wishes to remain anonymous.

CAMPAIGN OF ROSE:A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Source : makkalsakti.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!

CAMPAIGN OF ROSES:INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE.

Source : roses4pm.blogspot.com

A summary of International media updates on the rally: Sify News : 60 held as Malay police stop ethnic Indians' rally Reuters : Tear gas scatters Malaysian 'flower power' protest Also check out BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera and Channel News Asia for the stories.Malaysiakini and NST had their news reports updated as well.

CAMPAIGN OF ROSES FROM BBC

Source : Roses4pm.blogspot.com

PLEASE CLICK THE LINK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7240000/newsid_7248200/7248255.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&ms3=54&ms_javascript=true&bbcws=2

HINDRAF CAMPAIGN OF ROSES

Source : Roses4pm.blogspot.com

CAMPAIGN OF ROSES:STAND OFF AT COURT PILLAYAR TEMPLE.

Roses Rally in Malaysia - Chronological order.

Source : roses4pm.blogspot.com

Campaign of Roses Updates - 8.45am Update

The Campaign have started - Just received a Mobile update, people are now gathering in front of DBKL Building…. , no roadblocks inside KL and it’s quiet there. People show our Unity and fight for your Right that will secure your coming generations….

Campaign of Roses Updates - 9.00am Update

Just received another update…between 3 - 4 people was arrested by our POLICE (grounds of arrest still unknown). The Roses will now be sent to SUHAKAM Office instead of the Parliment due to heavy roadblocks by Police to stop Our Little Angels and fellow Malaysians from exercising their rights…

Campaign of Roses Updates - 9.30am Update

Update at 9.30AM ..chemical laced water sprayed and tear gas fired in front of DBKL, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman was closed, the crowd is now heading towards Dataran Merdeka.

Campaign of Roses Updates - 10.00am Update

Update at 10.00AM - Ground crew reported that riot Police is arresting everyone at random including few KIDS. Crowd is now scattered into smaller groups…second round of tear gas and chemical laced water being sprayed at the peaceful crowd.

Campaign of Roses Updates - 10.30am Update

Update at 10.30AM - It was reported that the crowd has now dispersed and Hindraf coordinators are also asking the crowd to disperse since the FRU are being very agrresive. It was reported that over 450 people were arrested so far.

Campaign of Roses Updates - 11.30am Update

Update at 11.30AM - It was reported that the crowd has now dispersed and gathered around Court Malai Pillayar Temple. It is estimated around 10,000 people around the temple area. There was few stand off between FRU and the Campaigners. Apprently the FRU being very aggresive and even chasing people out of coffee shops.

I was reported the arrested campaigners were taken to Pulapol.

Crowds are now slowly dispersing…

Campaign of Roses Updates - 12.00pm Update

Update at 12.00PM - The crowd is moving towards Pudu Jail…apparently few of the Hindraf committee members were arrested last night itself. Fair amount of people from different directions are heading towards Pudu Jail.

Campaign of Roses Updates - 12.30PM Update

Update at 12.30PM - FRU has cordoned off PUDU Jail area. The Campaigners are now heading towards PULAPOL, JALAN SEMARAK where the arrested Campaigners were taken. Please gather at PULAPOL, JALAN SEMARAK…

Campaign of Roses Updates -5.30PM Update

Those who were arrested are released after their statements are taken.

No roses delivered today

Source : roses4pm.blogspot.com

Hindraf supporters seeking away for children to deliver roses to the PM played a cat-and-mouse game for over four hours with police today.

The 'game' centred around Jalan Raja Laut in the DBKL, Menara Tun Razak, Dataran Merdeka, Masjid India and onto Bukit Mahkamah and the Ganesar Temple. All in all, 200 people were nabbed in the 'game'.

Campaign of Roses Update...

Update at 6.45pm - Via mobile - Just received an update about 30 minutes ago that all except (8) Campaigners are still detained...the rest was released once their statement were taken including blogger B.Mahendran....cheers to all, the People Power was once again proved in a Peaceful manner...!!

Campaign of Roses Update

Campaign of Roses Update 03.00PM

Watch the video from Malaysia Kini CLICK HERE ______________________________________________________

Update at 03.00PM - Via Mobile call - I was reported that all 20 kids were released and the remainder of the Campaigners / passer bys will be released by 5.00pm today once their statements taken.

Next Update at 05.00pm....

Hindu protest broken up in Malaysia

Source : Al Jazeera

Image : Al-Jazeera

Police in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur have used tear gas and chemical-laced water to break up an anti-government protest by ethnic Indians demanding racial equality.

On Saturday about 300 men, women and children were dispersed by about 100 policemen, including riot police with helmets and shields.

"Police were too rough" said S Manikavasagam, a spokesman for the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), the ethnic indian group that organised the protest. "They used their power," he said.

Since 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.
Protesters were carrying roses to symbolise a peaceful demand for justice.

The Malaysian government is concerned about street protests in the run up to early general elections on March 8 and any gathering of more than four people requires a police permit.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, is widely expected to retain power at the polls with his ruling party coalition, but with a reduced majority.

Many Indians accuse his multi-racial coalition, which is dominated by ethnic Malays, of racial discrimination.

Police crackdown


Hinraf first announced the protest in January to press the government to release five of its leaders who have been jailed under tough internal security laws.

The men were detained without trial after more 10,000 ethnic Indians marched in the capital last November to complain about a lack of job and education opportunities.

The protesters on Saturday planned to gather outside parliament to hand a protest note and roses to Abdullah, but they were halted by police a short distance away.

"I want the five to be released," Parvathy Raman, a 30-year-old accounts executive from Kuala Lumpur, said.

"I want the government to hear our problems. Everyone knows there is discrimination, but the government denies it."

Hindraf said the red roses symbolised love and peace, while the yellow roses symbolised the group's demand for justice and the release of the jailed men.

Protesters defied police orders to disperse, but scattered when sprayed with tear gas and water laced with chemicals.