PIOs, NRIs should support our cause: HINDRAF

The Malaysia-based Hindus Rights Force, struggling for rights and equality for ethnic Indian minorities in that country, has urged Persons of Indian Origin and Non-Resident Indians to extend support towards their cause. HINDRAF chairman P Waytha Moorthy told PTI that the PIOs should use their clout with India and appeal to the government to severe trade relations with that country, as well as stop all investments in that country.

"They should urge the government of India to terminate various infrastructure-related projects awarded to Malaysian companies in India and also urge it to stop importing Palm Oil from Malaysia," he said.

However, depite its founders being Tamils and a majority of the ethnic minority which the organisation seeks to represent in Malaysia is Tamil-speaking population, HINDRAF seems to have found little support for its cause in India, especially in Tamil Nadu.

Calling for trade sanctions on Malaysia by India till a solution was found, Moorthy also urged the PIOs to take up the issue with the governments of the respective countries they were residing in. He said they should also stop all trade activities with Malaysia.

HINDRAF had spearheaded a massive rally of the ethnic minority members in 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, demanding equality and rights, but had to face a police crackdown. Four founders of HINDRAF had also been detained under the Internal Security Act of that country. Moorthy alleged that they were ill-treated and that they were not even provided proper food.

Denying that it was a Hindu-based organisation, Moorthy said HINDRAF was a human rights organisation, which 'struggled for the rights' of all ethnic minorities. He also criticised the Malaysian government for painting them as a pro-LTTE organisation and recalled that the 2007 protestors had carried portraits of Mahatma Gandhi to show that it was a peaceful demonstration.

It was the Malaysian government's ploy to divert attention of the world from the main issue -- that of providing equal rights, he said.

A report brought out by the HINDRAF claimed that ethnic Indians have been meted out poor treatment for the last 51 years and that even their representation in the government was shrinking. However, the Malaysian government has denied allegations of ill-treatment and said that the "claims of a particular group cannot be taken as the views of the entire community."

According to Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk S Subramaniam, "there are no human rights infringements against Indian origin people in Malaysia."

Further, "Indians have wide political representation in Malaysia...the community had been represented in the Malaysian Parliament in the last 60 years and many PIOs have served as ministers," he said.

During his visit to India last week, he had apprised the top Indian leadership, including External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, of the allegations made by 'certain organisations', saying they were not true, making it clear that the bilateral relations were not strained. He also said that a high-level committee headed by the Vice-President of Malaysia would look into the demands of the ethnic Indians.