Persecution of Hindus Must End, HAF Demands in Briefing at House of Lords
London, United Kingdom (December 11, 2008)-- Joining exiled Malaysian Indian leader, P. Waythamoorthy, academics and journalists, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) testified on behalf of Malaysian Hindus at a briefing held in the House of Lords on December 8, 2008. Ishani Chowdhury, Washington D.C. based Director of Public Policy for the Foundation, blasted the Malaysian government's systematic persecution of minority Hindus, banning of the non-violent Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) and illegal incarceration of its leaders.
"This is an important event that emphasizes the need to sustain focus on a nation that continues to discriminate against the minority Hindu population by judicial onslaughts, educational impediments and temple destruction," Chowdhury told the briefing hosted by the British Coservative Party's Shadow Minister for Education and a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Verma of Leicester.
"The Malaysian government needs to work with its peaceful and productive minority community and address these legitimate grievances. Only then can it ensure true upliftment of its people and progress as a multi-ethnic nation," Chowdhury added.
In addition to Chowdhury and Waythamoorthy, Baroness Verma invited Tricia Yeoh, the Director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies (Malaysia) and K. Kabilan, editor of Malaysiakini.com, the largest portal for Malaysian news to the House of Lords for the briefing.
P. Waythamoorthy, a co-founder of HINDRAF, focused international attention on Malaysia when he organized the largest peaceful rally of Malaysian Indians since the country's independence to protest widespread systematic discrimination by the government last November. The rally was brutally attacked by Malaysian police and the U.S. State Department, India and EU countries condemned the crackdown. Still, the leaders of HINDRAF have been incarcerated since without trial.
In his address at the House of Lords briefing, Waythamoorthy spoke on the marginalisation of the Indian community for the past 50 years. "And for speaking up these issues, five Hindraf leaders have been detained under the draconian Internal Security Act which provided for detention without trial," he added.
Waythamoorthy urged the Baroness and other Members of Parliament to encourage greater global interest in the "tragic" state of the Indian community in Malaysia and to influence British politicians to raise their concerns with the Malaysian government at the highest levels.
During her address, Yeoh discussed the exclusion of Hindus from every level of Malaysian society and reasons for their alienation. "The Indian participation in the civil sector has also dwindled in recent years. Their representation in civil service stood at 7.2% in 2006 and now it is on 2.8%," she added.
Kabilan, of Malyasiakini highlighted the conditions of plantation workers in Malaysia, reporting that the condition of these mostly Indian origin laborers was largely remained unchanged since independence in 1957. "Issues such as wages, housing rights, education and healthcare are still there," Kabilan said. "Our journalists did a story on bonded laborers’ two years ago and we found out that these workers were still in want of the same things which were originally sought in 1941."
The deteriorating human rights of Malyasian Indians, most of whom are Hindus, is discussed in the HAF's annual Hindu human rights report.
"Hindus in Malaysia today are denied the right of free speech, assembly and even worship as their temples are systematically destroyed by the government," said Chowdhury after her address. "Now that we have spoken about this urgent issue at the House of Representatives and today the House of Lords, we are hopeful that our governments will find time to address the unfolding human rights tragedy in Malaysia."