Kuala Lumpur; Malaysia's ethnic Indian activists today warned of street protests if Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's government did not release five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) currently detained under the country's controversial Internal Security Act.
"I'm warning the government..... Don't play with fire. We will go down again to protest," said S Manikavasagam, a Hindraf member who was elected to Parliament in the March 8 general elections.
The five Hindraf leaders were detained in December last year after they organised a massive protest rally on November 25 against the marginalisation of the minority Indian community in this country.
Though the government went all out to pacify the ethnic Indian community promising to look into their woes, the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional fared badly in the polls.
The Malaysian Indian Congress, the Indian component of the Barisan coalition, managed to win only three of the nine parliamentary seats it contested.
MIC president Samy Vellu, who has been at the helm of the party for three decades lost his parliamentary seat at Sungei Siput after holding it for eight terms.
Analysts said the ethnic Indian community was fed up with Vellu's inability to do much for them in 30 years. Vellu continues to be the chief of MIC and has now called on the government to do more for the uplift of the community, which form 7.8 per cent of the country's population of 27 million.
Opposition parties last week called for the release of the five leaders, one of whom also won a state assembly seat.
Protest rallies are rare in this South East Asian country where permission is usually not given to hold such meetings.
Pragativadi
India
PEOPLE'S POWER
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