Archive for November, 2007

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

MK report on Hindraf trio discharged from sedition

November 27th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Hindraf trio discharged from sedition
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/75273
Soon Li Tsin
Nov 26, 07 12:45pm

Three key leaders of Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) were today discharged without being acquitted by the Klang Sessions Court from the sedition charge they faced. 

Judge Zunaidah Mohd Idris ordered the discharge as the prosecution had failed to submit the original Tamil transcript of the alleged seditious remarks made by P Uthayakumar, P Waythamoorthy and VS Ganapathy Rao.

The prosecution led by DPP Ishak Yusoff has also failed to get the Malay translation of the allegedly seditious speeches officially certified by relevant bodies.

“The court and the (defence) lawyers are not convinced that the speeches were seditious because the Malay translation is not clear.

“What is important is the actual Tamil text with a certified translation (into Malay). Is the prosecution basing the offence on the original words in Tamil or the translated version in Malay?

“I believe the gist of the offence is not stated here. I cannot see what (allegedly seditious words) the prosecution is focusing on,” Zunaidah said, before discharging the trio.

She, however, said the prosecution can recharge the three once the documentation has been sorted out.

They were originally charged last Friday under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act, based on police investigations pertaining to reports lodged against them in relation to their speeches made between 8.30am and 11.15pm at a forum in Batang Berjuntai, Selangor on Nov 16.

The offence is punishable with a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or a maximum jail sentence of three years, or both.

‘Return bail money’

Zunaidah had also ruled that bail money held by the court over the weekend was to be returned.

Hindraf legal adviser Uthayakumar and lawyer Ganapathy had posted bail of RM800 each on Friday, but chairperson Waythamoorthy had refused the bail offer as a mark of protest.

The trio were represented by a team of lawyers including M Manoharan, A Sivanesan, S Surendran, Gobind Singh Deo, R Kenghadaran and M Kulasegaran.

Amer Hamzah Arshad and Ramdas Tikamdas appeared for the Bar Council and National Human Rights Society respectively.

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng were among political leaders who were present in court today.

A crowd of about 100 inside the courtroom erupted in cheers when the judge discharged the trio. They were then hoisted on the shoulders of supporters and paraded victoriously down Jalan Dato Hamzah – also known as Little India – bringing traffic to a standstill.

A larger crowd – estimated to be around 4,000 – had gathered at the nearby Padang Chetty watched by an equally strong presence of the Federal Reserve Unit. The crowd dispersed after several speeches were made by the Hindraf leaders.

During an impromptu press conference in front of the Sri Nagara Thandayuthapani temple adjacent to the field, Waythamoorthy broke his three-day hunger strike amidst cheers from supporters.

“It (fasting) was a good experience,” he told Malaysiakini with a smile.

His brother Uthayakumar insisted that he will “continue to speak the truth” and said he was not deterred by the sedition charge.

Comments Off on MK report on Hindraf trio discharged from sedition »

Posted in Indian

Tags:

city hall estimate damage at rm100000

November 27th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


City Hall hardest hit by protesters

source

L. Pandiah, a worker at a stall in the temple’s premises, showing the damage to two refrigerators caused by the crowd on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The aftermath of the Hindu Rights Action Force rally on Sunday was felt most by City Hall when it estimated RM100,000 damage to its property.

The smashed glass pane of a shop in Jalan Ampang.

Pedestrian railings, pavement tiles and rubbish bins were damaged along Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak and repairs would be done as soon as possible, said City Hall director-general Datuk Salleh Yusup.

City Hall workers took four hours from 2pm on Sunday to clear the tonnes of rubbish left by the protesters.

Salleh said he was disappointed that the protesters had scant regard for property and equipment bought with taxpayers' money.

Some of the protesters had prised pavement tiles and picked rubbish bins and threw them at the police during the illegal gathering.

The road closures resulted in hotel guests being holed up in their rooms and several of them missed their flights since they were unable to get to the airport.

Business at retail outlets in the area was also affected.

Shops in Suria KLCC saw a drop in sales as several entrances to the shopping mall were barricaded.

Damage at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Batu Caves, where a larged crowd had gathered, has been estimated at RM10,000.

Temple secretary M. Thevaraju said the crowd had pushed down the locked main gate.

Two refrigerators owned by a stall in the premises of the temple and the public restrooms were also damaged.

Comments Off on city hall estimate damage at rm100000 »

Posted in Indian

Tags:

rally affects economy says DPM

November 27th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


the thing is when we look at public perception and surveys, many people are worried about bread and butter issues. the rural folks and the urban poor want to have chance to make a living. they are not worried about international issues or things that happen to the rich and well-off. elections are won by making sure the issues that are local to the area are taken care off – electricity, school, roads, surau, community centre etc. now, when the people want to air the grouses on their issues, they are asked to think and consider about tourism, national image etc. of course they don't care bit.
to handle the crowd, the govt should focus on solving or placating their "local" issues, and not ask them to think about economy affected, tourist run away etc. those thing won't register with the peaceful, simple-way-of-life indians who come from the outskirts of big towns.

meanwhile, koh tsu koon suggests that more peaceful way such as signature campaign to be used instead of assemblies and rallies.

Illegal rallies 'will affect economy, people's lives'

By : Shamini Darshni

PETALING JAYA: The government will not back down from the political challenge posed by the Hindu Rights Action Force, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.

"We will meet the challenge. We will not back down from a political challenge," he said.

Asked to comment on Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar's assertion during an interview with Al-Jazeera that the group's intention was to embarrass the government, Najib said: "His intention is political. If we were one-sided, there is no way the Indian community would have supported us, and the Barisan Nasional would not have won. "Suddenly, he wants to raise this issue. It is just politically motivated," Najib said after witnessing the handing over of three Dauphin helicopters from Eurocopter Malaysia to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. He said illegal street demonstrations could severely affect the economy and people's everyday lives.
 

More than 240 were arrested as thousands of protesters, organised by Hindraf to deliver a petition to the British High Commission, clashed with police on Sunday. Police had cordoned off a 4-km radius from the high commission, leaving the usually busy Jalan Ampang devoid of weekend traffic and shoppers.

In George Town, Gerakan's message to Hindraf supporters was to engage in constructive dialogue. The party's acting president, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, yesterday said there were always many peaceful channels for the Indian or other communities to resolve problems. Koh said the BN was open to suggestions and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had a soft spot for the marginalised. "Taking to the streets is a dramatic way of expressing one's feelings which can only lead to many other problems. "It is Gerakan's hope that the community can come together with concrete solutions to solve their problems.  "Any problems which affect a community affects the country as a whole.

Although the MIC has and will continue to take the lead in helping to resolve issues faced by the Indian community, other BN component parties also have an important role to play," he said after the state legislative assembly meeting here. Koh admitted that while the Indian community was well represented in certain professions and businesses, there were also many areas where the community was left out. "Let us always go back to the New Economic Policy (NEP) spirit, with the sole objective of wiping out poverty and re-arranging the different communities in the country. "We should also look at the issue from all aspects and have a pragmatic approach to address it," he said, adding that the idea of petitioning Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was unrealistic.

Comments Off on rally affects economy says DPM »

Posted in BornInMalaysia, Indian

Tags:

comments by MHS, Hindu Dharma Mandram and YSS

November 27th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Rally not our way, say groups

By : K. Harinderan

KUALA LUMPUR: Sunday's demonstration by Indians has set them back and trivialised all their hard work in the past, a senior official of a Hindu organisation said yesterday. 

"Street protests are not our way," said R. Gopal, vice-president of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, Federal Territory. "Indians in this country are basically law-abiding and would not resort to violence to solve problems." He said the demonstration organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was disappointing as "we have lived together and enjoyed peace in Malaysia".

His sentiments were echoed by a spokesman for The Malaysian Hindu Dharma Mandaram, a religious organisation, that said Indians should not resort to street protests to resolve issues as these would lead to violence. 

They could take their grouses to the prime minister through the proper channels, he added.

The executive director of Yayasan Strategik Sosial, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, suggested the formation of a parliamentary select committee comprising multi-racial leaders to address grievances such as education, housing and freedom of worship. He said dissatisfaction had led Indians to take to the streets. Jayasooria said the government should address the root cause and why the group claims to be marginalised. "Although there are efforts by the government to eradicate poverty and to address these issues, many of its policies are not made known," he said. "This can be seen as sidelining or the mishandling of grievances, which has led the group to react in such a manner. In my view, claims made by Hindraf were merely a catalyst to the stand they took on Sunday."

1 comment »

Posted in Indian

Tags:

Tamil school pupils urged to apply to science colleges

November 27th, 2007
|  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe to poobalan.com by Email


Tamil school pupils urged to apply to science colleges
source

TAMIL school students who'd achieved 7As in their UPSR should apply for admission to the residential science schools, Malaysia Nanban reported. Quoting Deputy Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the report said there were no restrictions on such students applying for places. 

Ahmad Zahid said that in his constituency, 113 students had obtained between 5 and 7As and he would take the necessary action to ensure that they all had a chance of getting into the science schools.  He added that special classes were held for more than 160 students and about 62.5% of them had passed with flying colours. “This is very encouraging,” he said after meeting the students in Hutan Melintang.

Comments Off on Tamil school pupils urged to apply to science colleges »

Posted in Tamil-Schools

Tags: