BATU CAVES, Kuala Lumpur: Hundreds of ethnic Indians in Malaysia have marked the anniversary of an anti-discrimination rally that rocked the nation one year ago. Unlike last year's fiery events it was a muted affair as the community contemplated the state of affairs.
A year ago, thousands of ethnic Indians gathered at the Batu Caves temple in a rare protest to demand equal rights.
Hundreds were arrested after protesters clashed with riot police who fired tear gas and water cannon in a bid to stop them from marching to the iconic twin towers.
The memory of the events is still vividly etched in the mind of 31-year-old engineer Perisamy Thiagaraj.
He said: "It was really brutal, it's not fair at all. They shouldn't have done that. Until the end of my life, I will not forget these things the government has done to our minority Indians."
The movement led by the Hindu Rights Action Force or Hindraf has since been banned by the government.
Their leaders now known as the Hindraf 5 are still being detained without trial under the internal security act.
They include elected member of parliament, M Manoharan and human rights lawyer P Uthayakumar
Chanting "makkal sakthi" which means the people's power, they climbed 272 steps to reach the top of the temple in pouring rain.
One year on, less than 500 have returned to the same temple in Batu Caves. But this time round they were not at the temple to protest but to pray in peace.
Although the government has promised to look into their plight with higher allocation for their schools, ethnic Indians said progress has been slow.
S Jayathas, co-ordinator, Police Watch and Human Rights Watch, said: "We requested the 18 point demand in terms of education, job opportunities, business and scholarship. All these until today are still denied. Why don’t they want to speak to us? We are not terrorists."
And with the economic downturn, many fear that their community will be neglected once again.
CNA/vm
Channel NewsAsia
26/11/08
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