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Hindraf to sue Utusan

October 5th, 2008
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Probably Hindraf should sue all those ministers who commented as well 🙂 Waytha dares the media to publish proof of the unruly behavior of Hindraf supporters who attended the Hari Raya open house at PWTC. So, far photos in Malaysiakini and those received via email paint a different story compared to the yarn spun by Utusan.

Waytha says:

So visiting the PM on a Hari Raya (Eid) is a grave sin committed by HINDRAF. An act of betrayal and insult to the Islamic religion. the masterminds should be arrested under the ISA or prosecuted under the existing Laws – so say the Malay extremist and fundamentalists organisations. Cabinet Ministers claim HINDRAF was extreme in barging into the PM’s open house and presenting a memorandum. Their seditious criticisms. were carried out by the none other than the UMNO controlled daily Utusan and TV3.

So it was a grave sin. I challenge these fools to obtain evidence from over 30 odd TV crews and pressmen (both local and International media) and the numerous Police Special Branch units who covered , recorded and filmed the entire episode to make public their recordings so that the whole world could see the foolishness and low mentality of Malaysian politicians and their UMNO coolies who stir up racial sentiments for their own political survival.

There is no doubt that whenever there are serious problems within UMNO, the best solution (idiotic though) is to stir racial tension among races. UMNO creates problems and misleads the public with the strength and might of their media.

Let us see the pictures below which our supporters recorded.

It is for you to judge whether HINDRAF presence at PM’S OPEN HOUSE IS as an INSULT TO ISLAM ?

This card is interpreted by the Cabinet Ministers as memorandum. I wonder if they know what they are talking about. The simplest greeting card prepared by a 6 year old with the help of adult to express the feeling of HINDRAF supporters to the PM-And this is interpreted as an insult to the Islamic faith???

Salam Aidilfitri
Semoga di hari mulia ini YAB akan diberkati rahmat Tuhan dan membebaskan semua tahanan ISA dan mendengar rintihan masyarakat India di bumi tercinta Malaysia. Maaf Zahir batin.

P.Waythamoorthy
Hindraf Chairman
Currently in London

Note: The images are in this PDF file (3MB).

Now, there’s a possibility of Utusan getting a RM1 million lawsuit soon. Malaysiakini reports that the issue is being discussed by HINDRAF lawyers. National coordinator RS Thanenthiran said that HINDRAF was very disturbed by the Utusan reports which he claims were tainted by lies and distorted facts.

A commentary in Utusan by Baharom Mahusin deserves a police investigation or even detention under ISA due its contents. I guess the writer may need police protection.

Hindraf was particularly offended by Baharom’s comment which stated that ‘ Kalau penyokong Hindraf melakukan penghinaan seumpama itu di kawasan-kawasan pendalaman yang menjadi kampung halaman orang Melayu, mereka sudah pun diajar tentang makna dan akibat berperangai kurang ajar.’ (If Hindraf supporters pour such insults in the interior areas dominated by Malays, they would have been taught a lesson on the meaning and consequence of misbehaviour.)

Thanenthiran asked, “What is the writer trying to instigate here?
‘Communal conflict? Racial hatred?”.

“Baharom’s comment was most unprofessional and unethical”, Thanenthiran told a press conference in Butterworth.

HINDRAF also chastised and ridiculed the Home Minister and others who did not understand the difference between Hari Raya card and a memorandum.

Charles Hector raised a similar question to mine in his blog – Why no coverage of the Free RPK group nor a warning to them in Utusan and NST? Is it discrimination? He also wrote few more important points.

Utusan, meanwhile, continuous with its tirade. The protection and freedom given to this paper is unprecedented. If this was some other paper, it would have closed shop ages ago. On Saturday, Utusan says “Hindraf diberi amaran” (HINDRAF warned) which reported on Home Minister hinting that the illegal organization (no other paper uses the word “illegal”) HINDRAF faces police investigation over the Raya visit. The article in Utusan is really an insulting peice of work. I won’t bother reproducing it here lest people start to burn Utusan paper in public or throw cocktails (Is it the trend nowadays?). I guess even ISA may be used against the key persons. Among the names being bandied about was Shanti, Waytha’s wife and Thanenthiran, the National Coordinator. I guess even the 6 year old daughter may be detained as potential future threat! Other articles in Utusan with similar hateful words are here and here. Take a deep breath before reading them.

Meanwhile Samy says he will continue to fight for the release of Hindraf 5 even with the “problem” given by HINDRAF.

He said he was taking “other action” besides appealing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and the BN supreme council that the Hindraf leaders be set free from their detention under the Internal Security Act.

Samy Vellu however declined to give details. He said he was only trying to help the family of the detained men.

He said their wives were happy and hopeful since he began to work for their release.

“MIC is going all out until we get them released. We are getting help from others to get them out. When they are released, I don’t need anything from them. I’m not doing this for popularity, I’m doing it for the community.”

He also said that MIC won’t pressure the Home Minister or place any conditions. He said he will meet Syed Hamid next week to discuss further.

According to Samy Vellu, the MIC’s effort is in line with its objectives to defend and protect the rights of the Indian community in this country.

“The MIC also wants to pursue this on humanitarian grounds as the families of those involved are suffering and need assistance,” he said.

He added that it was mischevious to suggest the party’s effort was to gain publicity or become popular.

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MP Teluk Intan Manogaran missing

October 5th, 2008
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A letter that appears in NST Letters section:

Where’s the representative? We miss our MP and assemblyman
By : CHELVARAJAH PONNIAH, Teluk Intan

I AM a strong political and social activist. I was one of the main campaigners for the member of parliament for Teluk Intan, M. Manogaran.

During the last general election, Manogaran promised the voters that should he win the seat he would set up a service centre in the town for the benefit of the people.

Since being declared the winner, he has been nowhere to be found. He comes in late on Saturday afternoon and goes to Kuala Lumpur the following afternoon. No one knows his whereabouts while in town.

He has yet to set up a service centre in the town proper. The constituents need their elected representative to be around in times of need and to solve their problems with government agencies.

The DAP state assemblyman, Seah Peck Leong, is an exco member of the Perak government. He resides in Ipoh.

The people of Teluk Intan are in a dilemma. Both Manogaran and Seah are claiming their respective allowances. Repeated requests to the DAP leadership to get the MP to stay in Teluk Intan have fallen on deaf ears.

Over to you Manogaran! Better prepare some answers or you’ll be a one-term MP only resigned to the history books.

Note: Man Utd leading 2-0 now, second goal scored by Rooney. 2 minutes left.

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HINDRAF upset with treatment at open house

October 4th, 2008
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I covered the media reports on HINDRAF at Hari Raya open house earlier. We can see how Utusan being the culprit, tries to stir the emotions by its choice of words and misleading statements.Today, Hindraf’s coordinator Thanenthiran announced that its members won’t be attending the Raya open house in Kepala Batas due to ” negative reports about their presence at Abdullah’s open house at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) on Oct 1.” He said 3,000 Hindraf supporter were expected, but will be informed not to attend.

HINDRAF was dissappointed that its trip to the open house was distorted by politicians when in fact, it had received approval from PM’s Department:

Its national co-ordinator R.S. Thanenthiran said Hindraf had sent an official letter to Abdullah’s office on Sept 22, stating that it members wanted to greet the Prime Minister and personally ask him to release all Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees during his open house.

“The Prime Minister’s senior personal assistant Datuk Ahmad Yaakob accepted our letter and told us that everyone was welcome at Abdullah’s open house.

“We told Ahmad Yaakob that apart from relaying Hari Raya greetings to the Prime Minister, we also wanted to personally ask Abdullah to release all ISA detainees,” he told a press conference here on Friday.

Thanenthiran said Hindraf members went to the open house to “mohon maaf, zahir dan batin” (seek forgiveness) from the Abdullah, and not to be disrespectful by creating a ruckus, as alleged by certain quarters.

He said it was not true that Hindraf sympathisers had jumped queue, noting that they patiently waited for about two hours to meet Abdullah.

He also said no memorandum was presented to Abdullah. Instead he was given a greeting card, flowers and a soft toy.

“We have always reminded our sympathisers to be patient and law-abiding citizens.

“But, we are disappointed with certain quarters who have given the impression that we are violent and provocative,” he said.

He was also quoted in Malaysiakini saying:

“Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a time to forgive and forget. Anybody can go (to the open house) regardless of what shirt we wear. We were not at all unruly,” said Thanenthiran.

According to the same Malaysiakini report:

Upon arriving at the PM’s open house, the Hindraf activists, all clad in their uniform orange T-shirts, were held back from the public
queue and led to a different dining hall to deter them from meeting the premier.

However a small group led by K Shanthi, wife of Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy, later ‘escaped’ and entered the correct entrance via the VIP entrance and managed to meet the prime minister.

“It came as a surprise to me. Foreigners are allowed to meet the prime minister but Malaysian citizens are not,” Shanthi told Malaysiakini.

She said police had also ordered her to change her T-shirt or otherwise face arrest but she refused.

Shanti said they had attempted to meet with the premier many times at the Prime Minister’s Department but failed and the Hari Raya open house promised them the only opportunity to come face-to-face with the premier.

“I asked him (Abdullah Badawi) why weren’t we allowed to meet with him but he replied saying that everyone can meet him,” she
revealed.

Below is an email from its Coordination Team Member:

Dear Prime Minister sir, why you did that to us?

There was never once we came without informing.
Every our visit to meet you Mr. Prime Minister, has been informed either thru an open letter or a personal letter to you. Your senior officers are well informed of our planned visits, be it in Putra Jaya, Parliament or in the latest development in PWTC on your Hari Raya Open House.

Malaysia’s (probably the world’s) youngest human right activist VWaishnnavi ( 6years old) approached your senior officer in Putra Jaya on 22nd September 2008 and informed him in writing that she will be attending the Hari Raya Open House function planned to be held at PWTC with some 10,000 Hindraf supporters .In return Mr. Prime Minister sir, your secretary thanked the delegation and assured us that this would not have the objections of the PM and the PM would be glad to welcome visitors to his open house.

Adding on to this, your press statement dated 29th September 2008 published by unit Komunikasi Pejabat Perdana Menteri , PUTRAJAYA, extended an open invitation to ALL the rakyat of Malaysia to attend the Hari Raya Aidilfitri Open House that to be held in Dewan Tun Razak of the 4th floor at PWTC on the 1st Syawal 1429, between 12.30 and 4.30pm.

What else needed for a Malaysian citizen who upholds the principles of Rukun Negara to accept and attend your Hari Raya Open House function?

So we came Mr. Prime Minister . We came with hopes and love. We came as citizens of Malaysia to wish our Prime Minister “Selamat Hari Raya” and in return instead of ‘Ang Pows’ we want to request for freedom of our innocent Hindraf heroes from the unlawful Barbaric and draconian ISA detention . What could be wrong in that sir? Instead what happened to us?

Why did you humiliated us ?
Why did you stopped us at the entrance of the PWTC ?
Why did you embarrassed us in the eyes of our fellow Malaysian brothers??
Why did you treated us as criminals ???
Why did you performed body search as if we were there to harm you????

Why Mr. Prime Minister ??? Why?…Why??…Why..????

Was that because we are poor Indians?
Was that because we are weak Indians?
Was that because we in your opinion untouchables?? !!

Why Mr. Prime Minister ? Why? Why you did that to us ??

Was that you or was it those around you in the name of advisors did all this?

We were consistently provoked ever since we stepped into the PWTC premises. You yourself saw how the hand made Hari Raya card by a six years old kid was torn by your officials . Imagine the time and the effort of that poor girl to get the card done. Imagine how she would have dreamt to pass it to you on your Open House. That wasn’t a petition or a memo. A simple hand made Hari Raya Wishing card !!! And dozens of police officers stormed in an attempt to confiscate and tear it of.

What? Is this necessary at all for a wishing card?

Mr. Prime Minister sir , we all know those were meant to provoke us and in return expecting us to retaliate , but we will never get provoked because Hindraf believes in Ahimsa and that is exactly how we are going to be in rest of our struggle.
Even then the Main stream medias under your control has blamed and accused us for unruly behavior and as trouble makers and said Hindraf supporters never respected the Hari Raya . God knows the truth and you too should attempt to seek for one.

Only if we were treated like citizens and were let to see you as the rest , our presence most probably would have went unnoticed. Too bad your advisors had decided otherwise.

One may ask why we chose the Open House, our answer , Prime Minister has avoided all our calls to meet him else where . We have no other choice but to accept his invitation to his open house, look into his eyes and tell him what we have to. That’s all.

Finally when we shook your hands Mr. Prime Minister didn’t you actually felt Hindraf guys are after all not that bad as been described to you all these while?

Indeed that is the truth sir. Our Hindraf leaders are innocent. Release them from ISA.
Our demands are basic needs of a poor community , fulfill them. Hindraf is done then.

Wake up sir, realize the truth and execute your power as Prime Minister to all..
Otherwise Hindraf never decided to stop.

Hindraf wishes you “ Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri , maaf zahir batin.

Vaazhge Hindraf…!!!

Sambulingam Wisvalingam
Hindraf National Coordination Team
2nd October 2008.

Meanwhile, Samy Vellu is worried that HINDRAF’s action will derail his plans to get the leaders released. He claims that the group acted as if they did not want the ISA detainees to be released because those in the group have ulterior motives.

“The MIC has taken several actions (to secure their release) but what the sympathisers did would jeopardise them,” he said Friday.

He was quoted in NST as saying:

“Actually, there are leaders who will be pressured if the detainees are released. Their aspirations to be respected leaders will be buried.

“I want all Indians who are in Hindraf to stop listening to these leaders’ insults and slander and leave the group.

On whether he was calling for the sympathisers to stop their actions, Samy Vellu said:

“I don’t want to advise them on what they should do. They can continue to beat their drums but their drums will not make a difference,” he said, adding that the longer the detainees were being held, the more someone was gaining from it.

“They are afraid if the five come out, everything will be peaceful. They don’t want that to happen,” he added.

Samy Vellu said he had spoken on the matter to Prime Minister Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Najib and Home Minister Syed
Hamid Albar, and said he had had many discussions with the Government and was optimistic of securing their release.

“You can’t talk to anyone higher than the Prime Minister. If he says he will look into the matter and talk to the Home Minister, we must listen to him,” he said.

“If we don’t want to listen to the Prime Minister, there is no way we can get anything done,” he added.

Seriously, I can’t remember if anything Samy Vellu said in recent times became real, so I’m not sure if anyone will believe his latest statements.

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Kids without birth certificates

October 4th, 2008
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I think this is becoming a monthly affair now. We seem to read about stateless people quite a lot in the last one year. This case is a bit different because the four children aged between 8 and 12 were abandoned by their mother. There’s no clue if any birth certificate exists or not. Looking at the illiterate status of the children, there will be doubt if they were Malaysians in the first place. No information about the father.

So what will happen to these children. Deported in future? To where? Or forever given PR status? Can anyone adopt them and if yes, would the kids be given citizenship?

Why does the mother do this? The kids in a limbo because of her. At least if she can clarify their status it will be easier. Very sad.

How to help them?

Kasturi enjoys reading the Ladybird series of children’s books for 5 and 6-year-olds. But Kasturi is 12. She only learnt to read the words “toy”, “dog” and “shop” recently.

Kasturi is no slow-learner, just that she only recently began to learn to read.

She is the eldest of four children, none of whom have ever been to school.

She learned her ABCs two years ago from a kind neighbour in Kampung Jawa, Klang, where she used to live.
In the past two months, Kasturi has been getting reading lessons at the Pusat Jagaan Kanak Kanak Sayang Lovely Nursing Centre in Sungai Way.

She said she loved to read and was eager to start going to school. “I want to go to school and meet new friends.”

But Kasturi, her sister Malliga, 11, and brothers Vijay, 9, and Suria, 8, have no birth certificates. At least, none that the people at the centre know of.

The children’s mother had left them at the centre in August, without leaving their birth certificates, or any other form of identification.

A. Raja, who runs the centre, said he wished that the children’s mother had told him where they were born so that he could trace the birth certificates.

“Without the documents the children won’t be able to have an education and later get a job. Their future is bleak.”

The siblings, however, are not the only ones at the centre without identification documents. Nine other abandoned children face the same problem.

Thanush, 3, was also brought to the centre without his birth certificate, said Raja.

“I am at a loss as to how to help these children.

“Without their documents they are as good as stateless. I hope the authorities can help us.”

Raja said it would be difficult to take the children to government hospitals and clinics if they fall ill.

For the time being, the children are given meals and taught lessons at a double-storey rented house in SS3.

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HINDRAF supporters guilty pleading controversy

October 4th, 2008
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Earlier, this issue was highlighted by Waytha and lawyer Surendran. But was denied by the defendants lawyer. Now, 9 of the 29 who pleaded guilty are saying that they were not informed by the lawyer:

Nine of those who paid a RM1,000 fine are claiming that they did not tell their lawyer, Datuk N. Sivananthan, that they wanted to plead guilty.

According to a spokesman for the nine, Sivananthan had asked them to indicate their plea on pieces of paper to know who wanted to go to trial.

He alleged the lawyer saw judge Akhtar Tahir at the mention of the case and told him that 29 members of the group wanted to plead guilty.

The spokesman said they were not given a chance to decide on their plea in court and were surprised by the turn of events.

Akhtar gave them two months to pay their fines on the understanding that they could extend it to six months.

Sivananthan later told the court that his team of lawyers was withdrawing from representing the 25 others.

Akhtar told the accused that the trial would continue even if new lawyers were not appointed.

The spokesman said those who had pleaded guilty were upset that they had not been given an opportunity to have their case heard.

I’m also confused with the judge’s statement that the “trial will continue even if new lawyers were not appointed.” So, who is going to represent the accused? Wouldn’t it be unfair?

However, Sivananthan was shocked over the allegations. He said they were aware of the whole thing:

Sivananthan, meanwhile, said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the allegation that the 29 had been “coerced” into pleading guilty.

The Kuala Lumpur Bar Criminal Practice Committee chairman said those who pleaded guilty were aware that they could have claimed trial like the 25 others.

“We explained to them that with 54 accused and 200 subpoenas issued by the court, it would take time for the court to proceed. It’s a different matter if there was only one accused.”

Sivananthan said the 29 had voluntarily pleaded guilty and confirmed facts in support of the charge.

“They were also advised about the consequences of pleading guilty,” said the lead counsel among a group of seven lawyers from the KL Bar’s Legal Aid Centre.

He said all those who pleaded guilty had signed letters confirming that they wanted to do so.

Sivananthan said the accused were allowed to ask questions to clear their doubts on their plea.

“We then told them to go back and think about it before coming to court the following day.”

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