The six-year-old niece of detained Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar was detained, while 11 others were arrested when they attempted to submit a letter at Prime Minister Department's office in Putrajaya today.
P Vwaishhnnavi (right) is the daughter of Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy who is currently in self-imposed exile in London. Her mother K Shanti was also among those arrested.
Police Watch Malaysia coordinator S Jayathas, who was also held, claimed that they had been told that they were part of an illegal assembly for having gathered near the entrance of the building.
"We were trying to obtain permission from the security guards for Vwaishhnnavi to submit her letter. They said that we were from Hindraf, but we insisted that we were concerned Indians who were accompanying Vwaishnnavi," Jayathas when contacted.
They are currently at the Putrajaya district police headquarters, but police chief Abd Razak Abd Majid declined comment when contacted.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman confirmed the arrest of eight men and three women during the incident. He clarified that Vwaishhnnavi was not arrested and is in her mother's care.
He also said the 11 are being investigated under the Societies Act. (The Home Ministry had imposed a ban on Hindraf on Oct 15, declaring it an illegal grouping.)
Waythamoorthy furious
Contacted on her handphone while waiting for police to record her statement, Shanti said the group was attempting to submit a handwritten letter calling on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to release all those detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) .
"The appeal letter (in Vwaishhnnavi's handwriting) asked the prime minister to release her uncle, (and other Hindraf leaders as well as) RPK (blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, among other ISA detainees," said Shanti.
"She said that Deepavali would not mean anything to her, and all Malaysians, if they are not released."
Shanti added that the letter also included a invitation for Abdullah to attend the family's 'open house' in conjunction with Deepavali.
"(Vwaishhnnavi) wrote that she would be waiting with flowers and cakes," she added.
Contacted in London by phone, Waythamoorthy expressed outrage when told that her daughter, wife and supporters had been picked up by police.
"It's ridiculous to arrest a child who has come to deliver a Deepavali card and a letter to the PM asking him to release all ISA detainees," said an obviously incensed Waythamoorthy.
"This only shows that the PM is not telling the truth when he said he is a PM for everyone. He is not!"
On Dec 13 last year, five Hindraf leaders - Uthayakumar, M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and T Vasantha Kumar - were slapped with a two-year detention order under the ISA. They are being held at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak.
Letter by vwaishnavi to PM
Dear Mr. PM,
On the 27th October 2008 Hindus in malaysia would be celebrating Deepavali-a festival to mark victory over evil.
This celebration does not mean anything to us so long as my Lawyer uncles are in prison,uncle RPK and all others are in prison under ISA.
Please release them as Divali Gift for all Malaysians.
Happy deepavali.Please visit my house for Deepavali. I will wait for you with Flowers and cakes.
Your loving daughter
Vwaishnnavi (signed)
6 years old
source: malaysiakini
mi1: Warning to Malaysian Government, DONT PUSH INDIANS, THERE IS A LIMIT, IF THEY RETALIATE, IT WILL BE WORSE
P Vwaishhnnavi (right) is the daughter of Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy who is currently in self-imposed exile in London. Her mother K Shanti was also among those arrested.
Police Watch Malaysia coordinator S Jayathas, who was also held, claimed that they had been told that they were part of an illegal assembly for having gathered near the entrance of the building.
"We were trying to obtain permission from the security guards for Vwaishhnnavi to submit her letter. They said that we were from Hindraf, but we insisted that we were concerned Indians who were accompanying Vwaishnnavi," Jayathas when contacted.
They are currently at the Putrajaya district police headquarters, but police chief Abd Razak Abd Majid declined comment when contacted.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman confirmed the arrest of eight men and three women during the incident. He clarified that Vwaishhnnavi was not arrested and is in her mother's care.
He also said the 11 are being investigated under the Societies Act. (The Home Ministry had imposed a ban on Hindraf on Oct 15, declaring it an illegal grouping.)
Waythamoorthy furious
Contacted on her handphone while waiting for police to record her statement, Shanti said the group was attempting to submit a handwritten letter calling on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to release all those detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) .
"The appeal letter (in Vwaishhnnavi's handwriting) asked the prime minister to release her uncle, (and other Hindraf leaders as well as) RPK (blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, among other ISA detainees," said Shanti.
"She said that Deepavali would not mean anything to her, and all Malaysians, if they are not released."
Shanti added that the letter also included a invitation for Abdullah to attend the family's 'open house' in conjunction with Deepavali.
"(Vwaishhnnavi) wrote that she would be waiting with flowers and cakes," she added.
Contacted in London by phone, Waythamoorthy expressed outrage when told that her daughter, wife and supporters had been picked up by police.
"It's ridiculous to arrest a child who has come to deliver a Deepavali card and a letter to the PM asking him to release all ISA detainees," said an obviously incensed Waythamoorthy.
"This only shows that the PM is not telling the truth when he said he is a PM for everyone. He is not!"
On Dec 13 last year, five Hindraf leaders - Uthayakumar, M Manoharan, R Kenghadharan, V Ganabatirau and T Vasantha Kumar - were slapped with a two-year detention order under the ISA. They are being held at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak.
Letter by vwaishnavi to PM
Dear Mr. PM,
On the 27th October 2008 Hindus in malaysia would be celebrating Deepavali-a festival to mark victory over evil.
This celebration does not mean anything to us so long as my Lawyer uncles are in prison,uncle RPK and all others are in prison under ISA.
Please release them as Divali Gift for all Malaysians.
Happy deepavali.Please visit my house for Deepavali. I will wait for you with Flowers and cakes.
Your loving daughter
Vwaishnnavi (signed)
6 years old
source: malaysiakini
mi1: Warning to Malaysian Government, DONT PUSH INDIANS, THERE IS A LIMIT, IF THEY RETALIATE, IT WILL BE WORSE
There is a difference between UMNO and Barisan Nasional. I want to make it clear that it is not the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, but the UMNO government. It is not the government, but UMNO. Barisan Nasional is a coalition of unequals, not equals. UMNO is the big brother in BN. Therefore UMNO must be held responsible; and more importantly, UMNO must not be allowed to hide behind the BN banner. UMNO is the enemy, not BN. UMNO is a racist party which has perfected the art of divide and rule. If moderate Malays, the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Chinese and Indians unite, then they can vote UMNO out of office.
ReplyDeleteFor decades UMNO has strengthened her position by destroying the independence of the judiciary. So much so that high officials and the Police can almost act with impunity.
I have come to the conclusion that the easy solution is to completely defeat UMNO in the next elections. We have to vote racist UMNO out of office. UMNO is bent on divide and rule, which has affected Malaysia badly. It is for the next generation of Malaysians to undo the damage done to Malaysia by UMNO. There is a dire need for moderate Malays at the political level. There is also a need for the natives of Sabah and Sarawak to form a third force to protect their own interests. Imagine how UMNO had dealt with Sabah; from a rich state, Sabah has been reduced to a poor state subservient to UMNO. There has to be an explanation. The only way is UMNO has to be voted out of office. The younger generation of Malaysians do not like racist politics and UMNO must be taught a lesson by the younger generation by voting UMNO out of office. Please vote for any party but UMNO/BN.
To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I tell you that historically UMNO has always avoided a Royal Commission of Inquiry as much as possible many times. Historically, UMNO has misused the Internal Security Act numerous times. Any political party that is an accomplice to UMNO is also the enemy. Any political party that is a co-conspirator to UMNO is also the enemy. To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I say that you should form a third force. A third force would require unity among Sabahans and Sarawakians.
To my Sabah and Sarawak natives, I need you to understand some things. Who is a so called bumiputra? Just about any Muslim who can obtain Malaysian citizenship can claim bumiputra benefits. How about the natives of Sabah and Sarawak? When it is beneficial to the Malays, the Malays cleverly put the Malays, the Orang Asli, and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak together. The Orang Asli of Malaya are not even mentioned in the constitution. Who are the bona fide indigenous people of Malaya? There are some who feel that the Orang Asli of Malaya are the indigenous people of Malaya. It may be possible that the Malays have usurped the position of indigenous people of Malaya and excluded the Orang Asli in the constitution. If we allowed the Orang Asli or the natives of Sabah and Sarawak to draft the constitution of Malaysia, it would look very different. So, it all depends on who drafts the constitution.
We have to get into the habit of putting people in office through votes, and removing people from office through votes. Nobody should be allowed to topple the government. We have to institutionalize the multi-party political system, one person one vote, and an independent judiciary.
In the 2004 elections (11th General Election), the voters gave good support to Mr.Abdullah Badawi. But reforms did not come. Why? Probably because UMNO had done well in the elections. If UMNO had done well in the elections, then the election results tell UMNO that the voters are satisfied with the status quo. If the voters are satisfied with UMNO, then no reforms are necessary. In the 2008 elections (12th General Elections), UMNO did not do well, but she managed to win. UMNO did lose the 2/3 majority in the Parliament, but she did win, nevertheless. Will UMNO undertake reforms now? I would not be surprised if she did not. Why should she? UMNO is still the winner in the elections; and she can plan to rise and may even succeed to rise again. So, as long as she wins, she will never undertake the reforms. So, how do the voters get the reforms that they need? The voters will get the reforms when UMNO is completely defeated in the 13th General Elections. If UMNO wins zero seats in the next elections (13th General Elections), then some other party would have to rule Malaysia. Let us call it Party B. If UMNO is completely defeated in the next elections (13th General Elections), then Party B would rule Malaysia. Would Party B undertake reforms? If Party B does not undertake reforms, then voters would know what to do.
There is no doubt that UMNO has used gerrymandering to strengthen herself. If we removed gerrymandering from UMNO, then there would be a reduced UMNO. So the non-UMNO voters of Malaysia have good reasons to vote against UMNO.
It is possible that UMNO has used the Police Force to strengthen herself. The Police Force is required to be neutral. But is the Police Force neutral? I appeal to the Police Force to be neutral.
UMNO is a race based political party and also the big brother of BN. So, the complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get reforms. The complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get a new beginning.
UMNO is inclined to believe that Malaysians cannot do anything if they are in any way dissatisfied. The voters, however, have to send a strong message to UMNO that the voters can do something: the voters can vote.
So, the next step for Malaysians is to completely defeat UMNO/BN in the next elections.