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PAS : KE ARAH PEMERINTAHAN ISLAM YANG ADIL
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Indians protest outside Parliament
Some 200 activists demand a meeting with the Malaysian PM to air
their grievances over the community's social and economic
problems
KUALA LUMPUR - Nearly 200 ethnic Indian activists demonstrated
outside Parliament yesterday, declaring Malaysian Prime Minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad responsible for recent ethnic clashes.
Waving banners reading 'We demand justice and development' and
'Maintain harmony without racism', the protesters demanded a meeting
with Dr Mahathir to air grievances over social and economic problems
faced by Indians, Malaysia's third-largest minority group.
Dr Mahathir, however, was not in Parliament - where Speaker Mohamed
Zahir Ismail rejected an opposition motion yesterday to hold a special
debate over this month's fighting between Malays and Indians that killed 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, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.
Protests are extremely rare at Parliament, which is four-fifths dominated by
Dr Mahathir's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
Mr K. Arumugam, a spokesman for 51 non-government organisations
who demonstrated, said Indians felt 'alienated and deprived' compared to
Malay Muslims, who comprise over half of the country's 22-million
population and benefit from government programmes for the bumiputras.
'The existence of racism has always been there,' he said.
In a letter to Dr Mahathir, the protesters urged him to establish a
multi-ethnic 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
minimise 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.
This month's violence, which flared intermittently on Kuala Lumpur's
outskirts for four days starting March 8, broke out after an Indian man
knocked over furniture at a Malay wedding, inflaming tensions that
escalated into riots.
Observers say the violence underscores discontent among Indians, who
are about 8 per cent of Malaysia's population and who are generally
poorer than other races.
The government has pledged new public housing in the villages which were
torn by the fighting and where more than 100,000 labourers, factory
employees and squatters live.
Hundreds of police have patrolled the streets to guard against further
fighting.
Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai said late on Monday that the
region had been peaceful for more than a week, and the police might scale
down their operation.
He said the authorities had detained five men in connection with one of the
deaths, the first arrest directly linked to the killings.
Over 200 people were arrested after the clashes, mostly for illegal
assembly and possession of weapons.
Several have pleaded guilty in court and received jail sentences. --AP
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